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ABC

Industry Products and Services

Oyster Shaker Table
Nate Geyerhahn uses the vibrating screens of a shaker table to sort oysters into baskets by size. Smaller oysters fall through the mesh screen and into the orange baskets, larger ones are retained on top of the screen. Eric Guévélou
Oyster Tissue Analysis using Flow Cytometry
Kate Ritter Sage prepares to analyze a sample of oyster tissue using flow cytometry. The UV light in the machine provides a reflectance signal from the sample which is translated into a histogram, read by the technician. The histogram shows whether the oyster has two, three, or four sets of chromosomes. Scott Jeffrey
Oyster Broodstock 2020
Oyster Broodstock 2020 Scott Jeffrey
Microalgae Flasks: Food for Oysters
Flasks of microalgae (food for oysters) growing in flasks in the ABC hatchery. Three different species are seen growing here, fed by timed injections of CO2 through tubing in the flask plugs. Loren Reller
Oyster Larvae Eyespots
The dark spots in the center of these oyster larvae signify that they are ready to go through the settlement process. During this process, larvae cement to hard substrate, usually the shells of other oysters, and go through metamorphosis, after which they will be sessile (non-swimming) organisms. Lauren Gregg
Oyster Downweller
Mature oyster larvae are harvested from larval tanks and transferred to downweller screens inside this shallow trough system. Here, they'll set on cultch (ground oyster shell), metamorphose into their stationary adult form, and continue growing for about a week until they're big enough to move outside to the nursery. Jess Moss Small
Oyster Downweller
The York River longline grow-out system at low tide. Each basket contains about 100 oysters from a genetically distinct and carefully tracked family group. Photo Jess Moss Small
Open Oyster Longline Basket
Oysters in intertidal longline baskets are tumbled and smoothed into a nice round shape by the wave action of each rising and falling tide. Jess Moss Small
Ripe oyster
This oyster is ripe and ready for spawning. It is full of gametes as indicated by its central body mass. - note its fullness and creamy color. Lauren Gregg

From the start of ABC in 1998, the culmination of efforts has been the release of broodstock to hatcheries for propagation of seed and eyed larvae. Progress is continuous in a breeding program; therefore, each year ABC expects to release lines that are better than the previous generation. The number of broodstock released climbed from 100 in 2004 to over 28,000 in 2018.

 

ABC Broodstock Distribution Services
ABC Flow Cytometry Services
  • Flow cytometry services are open to public and private hatcheries and are available for any person needing to determine the ploidy of their oyster broodstock, larvae, or seed.

ABC does not sell microalgae, eyed larvae or seed.  If you are in need of these products, please contact your local hatchery or nursery.