The COASTAL project, a multifaceted, partner driven project that supports local aquaculture producers by farming for restoration, is officially underway. This summer, nine shellfish aquaculture producers throughout Barnegat and Great Bay began the grow-out of oyster spat on shell, or baby oysters that have set on recycled shell material, that will be fostered throughout the summer and fall on their aquaculture leases before being planted on one of two oyster restoration reefs monitored by Stockton University. The COASTAL project is funded by an agreement with the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) through the United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS or NRCS).
The participating producers acquired remotely set oyster spat on shell in June and July and moved it to their in-water aquaculture leases to begin the grow-out process. The farmers are fostering the juvenile oysters with the utmost care, which includes weekly inspection for biofouling control, oyster growth and survivability. Kristin Adams, Conservation Specialist for the District and Aquaculture Specialist for USDA-NRCS in NJ, serves as the COASTAL Project Coordinator and oversees all aspects of the project, including summer spat counts at each farm which took place approximately 3-4 weeks after grow-out began. These counts include taking a sample of the spat on shell from each farm, counting the number of live oysters, measuring a subsample of live oysters and recording other data such as the volume of oyster spat on shell each producer started with. Another round of spat counts is planned for October near the end of the growing season, prior to planting the spat on shell in late November. Staff members from NRCS-NJ, OCSCD and the Cape Atlantic Conservation District (another project partner) assisted Adams with the spat counts this summer.
Along with a diverse group of partners, OCSCD was awarded $961,227 for the COASTAL Aquaculture Project (Conservation Opportunities Advancing Sustainable Technologies for Aquaculture Leases) through the RCPP; of which 70% will go directly to shellfish aquaculture producers.
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 fulfilled through restoration initiatives as well as supporting the aquaculture industry. The COASTAL Aquaculture Project serves to make connections between farmers and NRCS and farmers to restoration; these linkages are critical to ensuring continued, future success for natural resource enhancement within our nation’s estuaries.
“The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) promotes coordination of NRCS conservation activities with partners that offer value-added contributions to expand our collective ability to address on-farm, watershed, and regional natural resource concerns. Through RCPP, NRCS seeks to co-invest with partners to implement projects that demonstrate innovative solutions to conservation challenges and provide measurable improvements and outcomes tied to the resource concerns they seek to address.”
Visit https://soildistrict.org/projects/nj-coastal-aquaculture-project/ to learn more about the COASTAL project. Applications are currently being accepted for qualified aquaculture producers through October 18th, 2024. Please contact Kristin.Adams@usda.gov or your local NRCS service center to apply or for more information.
Posts About the NJ Coastal Aquaculture Project
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