A series of newly published fact sheets, “Tropical Storm and Hurricane Preparedness for Off-Bottom Oyster Aquaculture in the Gulf of Mexico” provide guidelines and suggested safety procedures to prepare for tropical storms and hurricanes.

Florida Sea Grant, the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium and Louisiana Sea Grant created the series to help oyster farmers reduce damages related to wind, storm surge and decreased salinity from flooding. The six publications focus on planning, preparation and recovery for different types of farms, facilities and equipment.

The guides help growers create storm plans, prepare to use them and implement them. They offer checklists to help growers take specific steps to increase resilience before, during and after a storm. Best practices in the publications focus on such topics as system installation, farm maintenance, workforce considerations, boat storage, and production-facility and processing-plant preparation.

To access the guides and learn more about shellfish aquaculture, visit shellfish.ifas.ufl.edu/hurricane-resources.