Oyster Reefs Expand Through Southern Ocean Waters

FORKED RIVER, NJ — Oyster reefs are expanding throughout the Barnegat and Great Bay area for restoration purposes.

In November, the second oyster reef planting took place as part of the COASTAL Project, a multifaceted, partner-driven initiative that supports local aquaculture producers by farming for restoration, the Ocean County Soil Conservation District said.

Oyster spat on shell (baby oysters set on recycled shell material) were deployed at two oyster restoration reefs managed and monitored by Stockton University, the group said. These are the Tuckerton Reef (established in 2016) and the Mill Creek Reef (established in 2022).

This reef planting was the second of four currently funded through the project, whose planning efforts began in 2020, according to the Ocean County Soil Conservation District.

Despite rainy, windy conditions, on Nov. 19 about 435,000 oysters, averaging 1.5 inches in length and set on recycled shell, were deployed between the two sites. This is the second consecutive year that the reef sites have been planted with spat on shell grown out on farms for one growing season prior to deployment; the Ocean County Soil Conservation District hopes that this will aid in reef survivability by reducing the chance of burial by sediment and lowering predation pressure due to the greater vertical relief provided by the larger, more three-dimensional spat on shell. These reef sites are monitored annually in the spring and fall by students and staff from the Stockton University Marine Field Station.

According to the Ocean County Soil Conservation District:

The overarching goals of the COASTAL Aquaculture Project are to promote aquatic habitat on shellfish leases and enhance water quality throughout the Coastal Bays of New Jersey (with a focus on the Barnegat and Great Bay region) by increasing producer participation in NRCS conservation programs. An additional goal of this RCPP project is the implementation of new conservation practice scenarios connecting producers with restoration projects. Increasing oyster populations and improving water quality within the Barnegat and Great Bay region can be achieved through restoration initiatives as well as support of the aquaculture industry. The COASTAL Aquaculture Project serves to make connections between farmers and NRCS, and between farmers and restoration efforts; these linkages are critical to ensuring continued, future success for natural resource enhancement within our nation’s estuaries.

Learn more here.