Alexandria Ambrose, a PhD candidate studying habitat provisioning in shellfish farms using underwater video data. Her research explores how shellfish aquaculture can support marine ecosystems while also leveraging the video data to develop educational tools that engage students with research. Alexandria aims to make marine science accessible and meaningful to diverse communities.

Shellfish growers frequently observe fish and invertebrates interacting with their aquaculture gear, and scientific evidence supports these observations. However, knowledge gaps remain regarding how farm attributes, such as farm tending activities and biological fouling, influence habitat usage. To address this, point-of-view cameras were deployed at an oyster (Crassostrea virginica) farm in 2019 and a hard clam (Mercenaria mercenaria) farm in 2023 in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey. Underwater video data were collected to document marine communities associated with these farms and assess species interactions with aquaculture gear. At the oyster farm, cameras were deployed on 12 days between June and September on oyster cages and floating bags, while at the clam farm, cameras were deployed on 5 days between June and October on clam bed nets. Video data were analyzed using MaxN, a metric capturing the maximum number of individuals of a given species per 1-minute segment. A total of 37 species were identified, with distinct distributions between farms. More individuals were observed at both farms than in adjacent natural habitats, with biological fouling playing a key role in species abundance. Floating oyster bags with high fouling levels attracted more individuals than less-fouled oyster cages, while moderate fouling on clam bed nets corresponded with the highest species counts. Farm tending activities had a neutral overall impact on abundance, though localized effects were noted. These findings enhance our understanding of how farm management and environmental factors influence habitat provisioning in shellfish aquaculture.