Speaker – Tal Ben-Horin, Assistant Professor, College of Veterinary Medicine, NC State University (hosted by A. Schnetzer)

Seminar Title – Disease impacts associated with expanding marine aquaculture production

Bio – Tal Ben-Horin is a marine ecologist and Assistant Professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University. He completed his graduate work (Master of Environmental Science and Management and PhD) at the University of California Santa Barbara and a Bachelor of Science at the University of Vermont. He leads the Shellfish Pathology Laboratory at NC State where his research group explores pathology and disease impacts associated with global aquaculture expansion, both with respect to impacts to aquaculture production as well as broader marine ecosystems. This work is driven by close collaborations with industry and state and federal resource management agencies.

Abstract – Dr. Ben-Horin will present two research projects ongoing in his lab, both investigating pathology and disease impacts to oyster aquaculture in North Carolina and along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. The first project explores sudden, environmentally driven mortality events in triploid oysters, which represent the bulk of aquaculture production in North Carolina and the southeast. The second investigates how traits associated with disease resistance in oyster lines bred for aquaculture production influence disease outcomes in broader marine ecosystems. These projects both aim to inform economic and sustainability goals and build resilient coastal blue economies.

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