Moonstone Oysters

— Photo by Robert B. Rheault

Graham Brawley tends a cage of
oysters. Aquaculture gear provides
excellent habitat for a variety of
juvenile fish and crustaceans

Oysters Are Good for the Environment

For several years resource managers have recognized the ecological benefits of eelgrass meadows and the excellent ecosystem services rendered by these environments. These benefits include nitrogen removal, benthic stabilization, and increased sedimentation of particles, as well as the valuable vertical structure providing habitat for juvenile fish and shellfish.

For these reasons eelgrass meadows have been recognized as “essential fish habitat” and are widely protected by federal regulations.

In most coastal areas eelgrass is receding due to deteriorating water quality, siltation and erosion. Many municipalities have instituted reseeding and replanting programs, and many are considering or already have implemented regulations to protect eelgrass.

There is a growing body of evidence showing that shellfish aquaculture provides many of the same environmental services as eelgrass. Shellfish remove nitrogen from the environment, while shellfish aquaculture gear provides excellent habitat for juvenile fish and crustaceans. Shellfish feeding actually improves the water quality conditions in ways that help eelgrass populations to recover.

This pamphlet Shellfish Aquaculture is Good for the Environment (pdf file) pulls together much of this evidence and makes the case that both shellfish aquaculture and eelgrass restoration have roles to play in maintaining and restoring the health of our nation’s estuaries.

Read the article Shellfish Aquaculture - In praise of sustainable economies and environments from the December 2004 issue of World Aquaculture (pdf file).

Read Robert Rheault's editorial Clean the Bay With Shellfish (MSWord file).

Read Todd Corayer's editorial The Economic Advantages of Aquaculture (MSWord file).