Location: Warmwater Aquaculture Research Unit
Project Number: 6066-31000-016-036-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Mar 1, 2023
End Date: Sep 30, 2025
Objective:
1. A survey of the parasite composition of apple snails in the Southeast United States with an emphasis on the those relevant to crayfish and catfish food production systems which incur a human health risk.
2. Development of an integrated management approach for reducing the impact of apple snails in rice, crayfish, and catfish production.
3. Develop mitigation strategies to reduce the spread of the apple snail to new production areas and systems.
Approach:
The primary objective of this project is to develop strategies to manage and control the spread of invasive apple snails (Pomacea maculata) in agriculture production systems of the southeastern U.S.
The proposed research will focus on practical solutions to controlling invasive apple snails in commercial rice and crayfish systems. 1) Evaluate the efficacy of commercially available pesticides such as copper sulfate, vegetable oils, and other chemical therapeutics to control/eliminate multiple life stages of apple snails, including adults, juveniles, and eggs. 2) Evaluate the biological, ecological, and economical impacts of potential control agents on non-target organisms and environments through field surveys of vertebrates, invertebrates, flora, and abiotic characteristics such as pH, alkalinity, and other environmentally relevant measures.
