Since joining the UC Davis faculty in 2004, Eric Sanford has worked closely with shellfish industry businesses to promote sustainable aquaculture for ecologically and economically important coastal species.

To encourage spawning in captivity, researchers put the marine snails in a mild hydrogen peroxide solution. This hydrogen peroxide spa treatment tricks the abalone into thinking others are spawning too. The chemical reaction, which creates free radicals, may be the same or at least similar to the chemical reaction that occurs when another abalone is spawning.

World Oceans Day is June 8. It’s a day across the world to celebrate our large expanses of sea and to collaborate for a better future. And this is just what UC Davis scientists are doing. Our researchers are discovering how climate change and human garbage hurt our oceans and their flora and fauna.