Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory
Principal Investigator
Susan Laramore, Ph.D.
Associate Research Professor
772-242-2525
slaramo1@fau.edu
The Harbor Branch Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory provides health certification to shrimp, clam and oyster culturists and offers a variety of analytical services, including histology, PCR assays, RFTM and body burden analysis for oyster parasites, bacterial isolation, ID and antibiotic sensitivity tests, challenge and feed studies.
Susan Laramore, Ph.D., is interested in aquatic animal health issues of aquacultured species, including biosecurity, disease prevention and how the aquatic environment affects the prevalence and intensity of diseases. Research has focused on viral diseases of crustaceans, parasitic diseases of bivalves, ecotoxicology of invertebrates, low salinity shrimp culture and nutritional studies.
Current Grants and Recent Projects:
Some of this research is funded by proceeds from Aquaculture Florida specialty license plate sales granted through the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Foundation.
1. Laramore, S. “Clams for Restore our Shores.” 2023-2024. Funded by Brevard Zoo for clam restoration purposes.
2. Laramore, S. “Comparative benchmarking of growth, survival and feeding efficiencies of L. vannamei fed diets of varying nutritional composition” 2023-2024. Funded by Private Industry to explore how feeds and feed additives can improve shrimp growth and survival.
3. Laramore, S. Restore our Shores, Oysters.” 2023-2024. Funded by Brevard Zoo to create living shorelines.
4. Laramore, S., & McCarthy P. 2022-2023. “Potential of engineered bacterial constructs to protect shrimp from viral and bacterial pathogens of interest in aquaculture.” Funded by Private Industry to develop products to protect shrimp against the virus WSSV and the pathogenic Vibrio responsible for causing APHND, two diseases of concern in the shrimp industry.
5. Laramore, S., & Masterson, J. 2022-2023. “Indian River State College Degree Program.” Funded by IRSC to provide hands on instruction in aquaculture for degree and non-degree seeking students. Students are able to obtain a one year Aquaculture Certificate or a Two year AAS degree.
6. Laramore, S., & McCarthy P. 2021-2022. ‘The development of controlled individual disease challenge systems for the evaluation of the relative susceptibility of shrimp to viral and bacterial challenge.” Funded by Private Industry to develop disease challenge methods for shrimp and test the effectiveness of feed additives and probiotics to increase survival in shrimp exposed to global diseases of concern.
7. Welch, A., Roberson, L. & Laramore, S. 2021-2023. “Enhancing Marine Aquaculture in the tropical US: Methods for sustainable commercial co‐cultivation of shellfish and seaweed in FL” Funded by NOAA S & K. FAU produced the sunray venus clams used in this project, conducted on Florida’s West coast.
8. Baker, S., Sturmer, L., Collins, A., Floyd, R., Philps, E. & Laramore, S. 2021-2023. “Evaluating the abiotic and biotic factors influencing hard clam production in FL”. Funded by Florida Sea Grant. This project examined water quality, phytoplankton, bacterial pathogens and seed health over a two year period in various hatcheries and nurseries in Florida.
9.Laramore, S. 2019. “Probiotic effects in a biofloc shrimp culture system”. Funded by Private Industry to evaluate the effectiveness of various probiotics added to shrimp feed and water in enhancing shrimp production and health.
10. Laramore S. 2019-2021. “Clam Research, Technical Support and Training Project” Funded by Private Industry to determine how various feeds and culture conditions affected hard clam production.
11. Wills, P., Davis, M., Browdy, C., Snyder, S., & Laramore S. 2018- 2022. “Final steps towards commercialization of pompano aquaculture.” Funded by NOAA Sea Grant. This project examined the effects of probiotics and feed pellets on pompano production and immune system function from larvae to grow-out stages.
12. Laramore, S., Baldwin, J. & Sturmer, L. 2018-2021. “Building Hatchery Capacity for Production of a Promising Shellfish Aquaculture Species: the Sunray Venus Clam.” Funded by Florida Sea Grant. This project sought to determine optimal maturation conditions for SRV clams to increase seed production, the effects of diet and culture systems on nursery seed and conducted genetic analysis of industry stock and wild populations.
