![]() Beach culture produces the slowest growing oysters, as they are subject to wind, wave, and tidal abuse that tend to wear away their fragile new shells. ![]() To overcome this, some farms will cover the spat with netting or put them into fenced pens. Once spread onto the beach, spat are vulnerable to natural predators like crabs, starfish, birds, and oyster drill snails as their shells are still very thin. Spat can be purchased at different levels of development, with the more mature product costing the most. Generally, oyster spat is purchased from a hatchery and spread onto a farms beach in the intertidal zone. Is the simplest and most common method of growing oysters in the Pacific Northwest. The shallow-draft workboat is also used to monitor oyster reefs at low tide.The four most common oyster culture techniques in the Pacific Northwest are: The Chesapeake Gold is used primarily for transporting millions of spat on shell and hundreds of reef balls annually. Restoration Vessel Chesapeake GoldĪnother unique aspect of CBF’s Virginia oyster program is the innovative oyster restoration vessel Chesapeake Gold. Find out more about the mobile oyster restoration center. The Mobile Oyster Center is currently located at the Brock Environmental Center. The barge travels from one river to the next, allowing CBF to restore local oyster populations more efficiently than ever before. This innovative oyster barge holds six 850-gallon tanks for setting oyster larvae on recycled shells and reef balls. Ryan Mobile Oyster Restoration Center (Virginia Beach)ĬBF's cutting-edge vessel has changed how we bring back the Chesapeake Bay's native oyster population. ![]() Gardeners then take their oysters and grow them in cages provided by CBF for about one year before returning them to be planted on local reefs and adopting another batch.įind out more about becoming a Virginia oyster gardener. Training is held at several accessible locations. The CBF Oyster Gardening program trains hundreds of citizens to grow and care for spat on shell oysters at their dock or other approved locations in tidal waters throughout Virginia. Volunteers assist CBF staff with producing two sizes of reef balls that are deployed by boat or by hand on restoration sites. Reef balls are concrete structures that look like igloos and are used to create aquatic habitat for oysters and many other species. This activity requires many hands and our Virginia oyster restoration staff rely on hard-working volunteers to help us prepare for spat on shell production. “Shell jigs” are used to make the process more efficient. Before recycled oyster shells can be placed in our setting tanks, they must be cured (left in the sun to dry out) and bagged. Shell bagging is a crucial step in our oyster restoration process. Through CBF’s shell recycling program shells from restaurants, and oyster roasts are reclaimed for restoration projects. Oyster shells are the foundation of many oyster restoration projects, but they are in short supply. We utilize the Brock Environmental Center campus, as well as many others across Virginia, for numerous oyster restoration volunteer activities that include: The Brock Environmental Center, located at Pleasure House Point in Virginia Beach, Virginia, serves as a main hub for mobilizing oyster restoration work. Work with oyster processors, growers and watermen to develop innovative ways to sustain the industry.ĭownload our 2022 Virginia Oyster Restoration Annual Report Where Do We Work? Brock Environmental Center (Virginia Beach).Produce oysters for local reef restoration projects.Serve as a platform for education and scientific research. ![]() Develop partnerships with community groups, institutions, agencies and organizations.Create public awareness of the critical need to restore oysters.Engage citizens, students and decision makers in hands-on oyster restoration activities.Leverage greater public and private investment in the Baywide oyster restoration effort.The program includes producing baby oysters (called spat), transplanting oysters on reefs, training and supporting local residents to raise oysters, and recycling oyster shell to be used on future reefs.ĬBF’s Virginia oyster restoration program’s mission is to:
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