![]() Sea Grant working together on a project that has the potential to produce real economic and ecological benefits to eastern North Carolina,” says Glenn Skinner, executive director of the N.C. “It’s been great to see the fishing industry, N.C. The value of the project also includes the strong collaborations to complete each deployment. “Our complimentary oyster reef-building efforts combine to create important habitat in our estuaries.” “The division approaches shellfish rehabilitation by building strategically placed oyster sanctuaries, which are protected from harvest, and also constructing these open-access ‘cultch planting’ areas to function more like natural reefs,” Boyd explains. “Not only do oysters provide economic benefits as an important fishery, they also provide many ecosystem services such as water filtration, shoreline stabilization, and habitat for different fish and other marine life,” says Jacob Boyd, habitat and enhancement section chief for the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries representatives and commercial fishermen are collaborating to identify suitable sites, López explains. The project will bring environmental benefits, too. Her focus on the art and science of shellfish production and her dedication to assisting North Carolina’s commercial fishing community is unparalleled,” Hamrick adds. She’s dedicated hours and days to ensure that the oysters we place in North Carolina’s waters are healthy, acclimatized, and have multiple spat attached. “It’s not every day that a native daughter returns home to give back to the community in a way that builds the economy for the future. “Susan is investing in the coastal economy by repurposing ‘Elmer’s Old Clamhouse’ in Williston as a commercial shellfish nursery,” Hamrick notes. Susan Hill, owner of Down East Mariculture in Williston, is serving as the commercial nursery partner. The fund matched another grant from the N.C. Dispersion of the fund’s monies falls under the Marine Fisheries Commission’s Commercial Resource Fund Committee and the Funding Committee for the N.C. López also notes that support from the North Carolina Commercial Fishing Resource Fund was invaluable. “Helping commercial fishermen recover from Hurricane Florence through boosting North Carolina’s oyster fishery is a great use of some of our hurricane relief funding.” During winter months, wild-harvested oysters provide needed income to support coastal fishing families, while providing tasty, healthy local food to seafood markets,” Hamrick says. “Oysters are an important fishery for North Carolina’s working watermen. Farm Bureau Federation and an advisory board member for Sea Grant, with helping to initiate the collaborative demonstration project. López credits Debbie Hamrick, director of specialty crops for the N.C. The spat grow into adult oysters in this natural setting - and can form dense oyster beds over time.” As the larvae permanently attach to oyster shell in climate-controlled tanks, they are known as ‘spat.’ The spat-on-shell then can be deployed in sounds. “Spat-on-shell culturing allows oysters to be started as larvae in a nursery setting. “Recent storms like Hurricane Florence have impacted wild oyster populations,” says Frank López, extension director for North Carolina Sea Grant. All photos courtesy of John Lambeth (NCFBF). Small brown ovals are juvenile oysters that have set on an old oyster shell. The project’s first deployments of “spat-on shell” was in mid-June. ![]()
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