Utilizing native oyster seed to enhance oyster populations andaquaculture: The New Jersey experience

摘要

Harvesting and transplanting oyster seed from state-owned seed beds to private leased grounds has long been the tradition of the New Jersey oyster industry. MSX and DERMO disease have caused the industry to modify or abandon these traditional planting activities. New Jersey sea grant extension program is working to develop new methods to utilize the native oyster set in order to provide inexpensive oyster seed for restoring oyster populations in Delaware Bay and for demonstrating modern aquaculture techniques. Shell bags and "Chinese Hat" spat collectors were used to collect seed for oyster reef construction and for intertidal rack and bag aquaculture. Careful selection of spat collection locations is key to production of native oyster seed. Spat collectors were placed on the Delaware Bay Cape Shore of New Jersey tide flats because this area historically produces large, consistent sets that are not utilized by the oyster industry. Sea Grant Extension developed methods to collect and to promote utilization of this seed oyster resource. Small oyster reefs, constructed with shell bags in 1990, have continued to recruit oyster seed and have five or six generations growing on them. From 1999 to 2003 each "Chinese Hat" array has produced 5,000 or more half-inch culchless oysters for aquaculture grow out. Five growers are using these seed collecting methods to increase their market oyster production.