Delaware Bay Oysters Recovering from Storms

PORT NORRIS — Have you had any Delaware Bay oysters lately?
Apparently lots of folks have because it has developed into a $20 million industry, according to New Jersey Fish and Wildlife Biologist Jason Ataron.
The industry suffered much loss as result of two storms last year.
On Tue., Aug 14, members of the Nature Conservancy, Rutgers University, the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo gathered on a dock at Bivalve Packing Company to launch a project to restore oyster beds severely damaged by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.
Storm water runoff inundated oyster seedbeds in the northernmost part of Delaware Bay killing 80 percent of the oysters in beds that are critical to future commercial harvesting
Oysters cannot tolerate extended periods of living in fresh water, according to DEP.
Last month, a contractor under the supervision of DEP, planted more than 2,000 cubic yards of clamshell in the lower bay off Pierce’s Point. Oyster larvae that are naturally in the bay become attached to the shell and develop.
According to DEP, during the next several weeks, half of this shell and the tiny oysters on it will be moved by boat to seed beds at the neck of the bay near Salem County’s Hope Creek. The oysters will be much safer from disease and predation at that location.
After a number of years of growth, the transported oysters will be moved back down to the lower bay to reach market size, according a DEP press release.
When Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee severely disrupted the commercial oyster last season, DEP Commissioner Bob Martin approved an extension of the harvest season that allowed the industry to reach its full 90,000 bushel quota
“Perhaps no single animal is as important to Delaware Bay as the oyster,” said Jennifer Adkins, executive director of Partnership for the Delaware Estuary. “The bad news is the outlook for oysters in Delaware Bay is not great.”
She said after decades of battling two deadly diseases, oyster beds suffered another devastating loss blow after two storms last year. The good news is the partnership has joined with other organizations to start to rebuild damaged beds, said Adkins.
David Bushek, director of Rutger’s University Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory, said oysters provided habitat for other fisheries and helped clean the water by filtration.
Eric Powell, professor at Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory, said shell planting produces more oysters and replaced shell being lost in oyster beds due to natural process.
“This shell slowly goes away and goes away faster than it’s being replenished by the oyster population,” he said.
Powell said additional money was needed to continue the project. He said he did not expect another hurricane or tropical storm to disrupt the oyster bed in the upper bay in the foreseeable future.
The storms could have been a 500-year or 100 year event, said Powell.
U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo said the oyster project could provide real benefits in an economically depressed area. He said for every dollar invested about $40 returns.
Members of the press boarded the oyster boat Howard Socwell for a 30-minute trip to an “example” oyster bed within view of the East Point Lighthouse. The boat dredged up loads of oysters and shells which ran along a conveyor belt across the deck for inspection. The oysters were returned to the bay in a stream of water.
Danielle Kreeger, science director of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, said some Delaware Bay oysters are repackaged as Chesapeake or Rhode Island oysters. Most local oysters stay in the area but diners need to ask for Delaware Bay oysters in restaurants, she said.
Kreeger said only about 2 percent of oysters are harvested each year. The oyster industry puts money in a state fund to produce more shell placement.
The Delaware Bay oyster project has no federal funding. Kreeger said it received funding for five years through an earmark obtained by LoBiondo until it ran out.
She said Delaware Bay oysters have the most stringent health regulations and nabbed the number two spot in a national taste test.