Tiny Oysters Play a Big Role in Restoring Jersey Shore Waters

Local aquaculture producers have planted thousands of baby oysters along the Jersey Shore to repair the coastal ecology. Though tiny, these crustaceans are enhancing coastal waters and marine environments.

Nine aquaculture businesses brought 435,000 spat oysters to two Barnegat Bay and Great Bay restoration reefs in November. The second oyster planting of the year under the Coastal Restoration Project took held at Tuckerton Reef and Mill Creek Reef despite wind and rain.

Since June, oysters had been meticulously cultivated on private aquaculture licenses. At planting, they averaged 1.5 inches. Before being placed on reefs, spat were landed on recycled shell material, which supports growth and increases survival rates.

Stockton University cares for the restoration reefs so oysters can thrive and maintain the marine ecology. This method of rearing oysters for one season before releasing them lowers predation and sediment burial. This method produces larger, three-dimensional reef structures that are more environmentally resistant.

Local aquaculture producers and conservation authorities collaborate on the Coastal Restoration Project. It funds four oyster deployments and was slated for 2020. Each planting helps achieve long-term water quality, biodiversity, and marine life habitat goals.

These conservation projects include the 2016 Tuckerton Reef and 2022 Mill Creek Reef. In spring and fall, Stockton University Marine Field Station students and staff inspect these sites for oyster development and reef health. Their findings inform reef rehabilitation and assure their survival.

These oysters assist the environment, local aquaculture enterprises, and marine conservation education. The study shows how scholars, environmentalists, and local businesses can work together to benefit the environment and economy.

Fostering these tiny shrimp helps New Jersey maintain its coastal waters. The oyster reefs show how little species can improve marine health and sustainability.

Sources:

• Stockton University Marine Field Station

• Ocean County Soil Conservation District

• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, New Jersey