In November, 2025, 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. Nine shellfish aquaculture producers throughout Barnegat and Great Bay deployed oyster spat on shell—baby oysters that have set on recycled shell material—that they had been fostering on their aquaculture leases since June. The spat on shell was deployed, or “planted,” at two oyster restoration reefs managed and monitored by Stockton University: 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. The COASTAL project is funded through an agreement with the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) of the United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS).
deployment. Photo by Kyle Gronostajski/Jetty Rock Foundation
On the morning of November 19th, despite windy and rainy conditions, the participating producers loaded their boats with oyster spat on shell and began the trek to the reef sites. Nate Robinson of the Stockton University Marine Field Station and Kristin Adams, Conservation Specialist for the District and Aquaculture Specialist for USDA-NRCS in New Jersey, met the producers at the reef sites and marked out the planting locations with buoys. Approximately 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 the reef sites have been planted with spat on shell grown out on farms for one growing season prior to deployment; this approach will hopefully 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.
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.
Visit https://soildistrict.org/projects/nj-coastal-aquaculture-project/ to learn more about the COASTAL project. Please contact kadams@soildistrict.org for more information.