You can best accomplish all of these objectives by periodically pulling the float onto a dock or shore and letting it dry out. Shading the float by tying it up under a dock or making a simple, lightweight cover can also help reduce fouling. The following expands on steps you can take to optimize the growth and survival of your oysters.

Control of Fouling Organisms

There are several methods of desiccation: trays can be pulled out of the water and placed on the pier; they can be moved ashore during high tide and exposed during low tide; or lines supporting the trays can be adjusted during high tide so that when the tide falls, the trays are suspended out of the water until the tide returns. If you choose the latter technique, the float must be tied with four lines tied at the corners of the PVC frame and the wire. The method you use will depend on your site and your individual preference.

Filamentous algae are one of the most persistent fouling organisms; while they do not harm the oysters, they make handling difficult and impede your ability to observe the growth of your spat. The best way to control such algae is to make sure it does not get started. As soon as you detect algae in your Taylor float, you should begin a regular desiccation schedule. Once these plants get established, they can grow very fast. If your float has a heavy fouling of algae, remove as much as possible prior to desiccation; once established, it is unlikely that you will be able to totally remove it from the trays. Another method of controlling filamentous algae growth is to limit the sunlight reaching the float by covering it with an opaque cover.

Cleaning Floats

Fine clay sediment is more common in the Chesapeake Bay and, therefore, more of a problem. The oysters in floats and trays in themselves serve as a system of mini baffles that cause suspended sediments to settle out from the water. In addition, the filtering activity of the oysters removes some suspended particles from the water, some of which are algae and some sediment. The sediment particles are released as "pseudofeces" while waste products are also expelled. Oysters deposit these particles on the bottom of the float. Sediment and oyster feces can be detrimental to survival of your oysters. Without routine cleaning, oysters can quickly become covered which can prohibit their ability to feed, and breathe. When this happens, oysters found beneath this sediment are likely to die. For this reason, it is critically important that your floats be cleaned on a regular basis. The time between cleanings will vary according to the conditions at your site, but all floats should be cleaned at least every two weeks. Cleaning can consist of rapidly moving the floats up and down in the water until all sediments have been rinsed off, or by using a hose if available. An excellent time to do this would be when the floats are raised for desiccation.

Oyster Predators

Blue crabs in your floats should also be removed. While they should not cause major moralities in the floats, a confined blue crab will eat what is available to it. It's not likely that most other oyster predators will cause problems in the floats. One advantage to spat-on-shell is that they are generally more predation resistant than cultchless oysters. The shell to which they have attached to acts as protection to the spat until they reach a size where predation is more difficult.