New Partnership to Restore Storm-damaged Delaware Bay Oyster Beds
Port Norris, N.J. — Several organizations launched an experimental restoration project on Tuesday. Together they
are moving “seed oysters,” or shells with baby oysters attached, from the Cape May County area of Delaware Bay
to storm-damaged oyster beds off Salem County.
Floods resulting from several consecutive storms, including Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, devastated
oysters on the northernmost beds of Delaware Bay last year. These beds comprised about 35 percent of the
oysters supporting the fishery. The impacts were worse than any other storm in almost 60 years, killing about half
of the oysters on these beds. Now a variety of partners are joining forces to restore them using a new tactic.
“This project is a partnership between
the New Jersey Chapter of The Nature
Conservancy and several members of the
Delaware Bay Oyster Restoration Task
Force,” said Jennifer Adkins, executive
director of the Partnership for the
Delaware Estuary (PDE) “It’s a new
element of our oyster-restoration
strategy, and it’s aimed at promoting
growth on the oyster beds in the upper
part of the bay that were so damaged
last year.”
The northern-most oyster beds are
critical for the future of oysters in
Delaware Bay. Warmer temperatures
and higher salinity are shifting where
they are most productive, making these
the beds of the future. This is why a
different “replanting” tactic is needed.
David Bushek, HSRL Lab Director, addresses audience while former
Director, Eric Powll (left) and Rutgers Dean Robert Goodman look on.
Photo: Shaun Bailey, PDE
Replanting involves strategically placing
shells along the Cape Shore region, where lots of baby oysters “recruit,” or attach to shells, but few survive unless
protected from predators. These shells are then picked up and moved to the northern beds, where the attached
oysters can grow over time. Oysters on these northern beds are protected from predators and disease, but they
grow slower and produce fewer babies than beds to the south. That is why, in some years in the past, oysters from
these beds were moved south to quickly grow bigger and be harvested as part of the quota set each year.
“Restoring oyster reefs is a conservation priority for The Nature Conservancy,” said Moses Katkowski, marine
conservation coordinator for TNC’s New Jersey chapter. “The Hope Creek shell replanting project will benefit
people and nature today and into the future.”
“The Council has voluntarily agreed not to harvest these beds for at least five years, while restoration efforts take
effect,” added Barney Hollinger, co-chairman of the Delaware Bay Section of the New Jersey Shellfisheries Council.
Past efforts to restore oysters relied on “shell planting.” This involves strategically placing clam and oyster shells
onto historic reefs. Otherwise baby oysters floating in the water lack suitable places to attach and grow.
“Shell planting is the single most important action we can take to rebuild and revitalize the oyster beds of
Delaware Bay,” said Dr. David Bushek, director of Rutgers University’s Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory. “Shell
planting enhances oyster habitat, giving them a leg up on survival so we can continue to reap both the ecological
and economical benefits they provide.”
Funding for shell planting has largely disappeared since 2009, despite its effectiveness. While this may change in
the future, those involved want to address the many threats facing oysters today.
“Thus far, oysters have escaped overfishing through our development and pursuit of sustainable management, and
they’ve responded to MSX disease by becoming resistant,” Bushek explained. “Now oysters are fighting to
overcome Dermo disease and adapt to increasing temperature and salinity.”
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has worked with scientists at the HSRL to monitor and
restore oysters in Delaware Bay since 1953.
“The Delaware Bay oyster industry is a vital part of New Jersey’s overall fishing and shellfish industry,” said Bob
Martin, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. “The annual oyster harvest
generates over $3.5 million for oystermen and pumps some $20 million into the bay region’s economy. The
Christie Administration recognizes this fact and has consistently applied common sense strategies to help protect
and enhance this industry, which is recovering from many decades of struggles with disease issues.”
Congressman Frank LoBiondo (N.J.-2) is a longtime supporter of replanting projects in the bay, helping to secure
federal funds for oyster revitalization in the last decade. He has worked with each of the groups involved as they
strive to accomplish this environmental and economic goal.
“Oysters and the communities they built along the Delaware Bay have a rich, shared history and the efforts now
under way in this new partnership will hopefully help keep that tradition alive for years to come,” said Rep.
LoBiondo.
Adult eastern oysters filter up to 50 gallons of water per day as they eat. This results in cleaner water flowing past
bayshore towns on its way to the Atlantic Ocean. They also provide reef-like habitats capable of supporting the
bay’s other important fisheries and absorbing wave energy before it hits the shore and its coastal communities.
“In the Delaware Bay, oyster reefs are an important resource for the people that live along the Delaware
Bayshores,” added Katkowski. “Oyster reefs provide us with essential services, such as water filtration and
coastline buffering.”
Those involved include: the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, The Nature Conservancy, Delaware Bay Section
of the New Jersey Shellfisheries Council, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and Rutgers
University.