To produce virginica cultured Crassostrea more efficiently, current grow out techniques require better understanding to allow for more consistent growth and quality. While the basic physical conditions that influence shellfish growth have been well researched, there are limited studies that consider how physical conditions (i.e. water flow and wave motion) influence shellfish growth within the context of an off-bottom aquaculture farm. Since oysters are suspension feeders, they require food to be delivered to their siphons through ambient processes. Changes in water flow can influence the overall survival, growth rate, and quality of oysters. Additionally, the motion, or jostling, of cages are thought to cause chipping on the outer portion of oyster shells, influencing the overall shape and growth of oysters. There are many techniques and equipment that have the potential to influence the water delivery and movement of oysters in containerized culture; however, little research has addressed how culture practices influence physical forcing surrounding cultured oysters and what impact those changes have on oyster performance. The biophysical relationship occurring in shellfish aquaculture is not being properly characterized partially due to a lack of affordable tools capable of monitoring physical forces in constrained spaces. This dissertation summarizes the current understanding of how culture practices influence oyster aquaculture production and demonstrates the novel use of affordable and commonly available tools that can be utilized in shellfish aquaculture research across multiple operational scales. The development of a novel clod card method and predictive model was attempted for use in characterizing mass transfer rate of water. The clod card, along with accelerometer loggers were utilized to understand the effects of physical forcing on the production of off-bottom cultured oysters when exposed to a range of biofouling mitigation treatments, grown using different culture methods, and spatially across an active shellfish aquaculture lease. These experiments validated the value in characterizing physical forcing in shellfish aquaculture and identified trade-offs between oyster shell growth and market quality that are linked to changes in the physical environment, which were produced by changing culture practices. Additionally, these validation experiments determined that variability in oyster growth and performance can change over small spatial scales, smaller than the typical grow-out shellfish aquaculture lease, which can influence water movement inside cages, water quality, and the efficiency of a commercial shellfish operation. By considering the local physical environment, growers can strategically employ culture practices that optimize the water flow through and movement of oysters to enhance farm profitability.