Restoring & Protecting the NC Coast

     Why restore our native oyster? Since the early 1900's, North Carolina's Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) population has declined an estimated 90 percent. A variety of factors are to blame – habitat loss, pollution, diseases, and harvest pressure. Because of their tremendous values, often referred to as the three "F's": Food, Filter, and Fish habitat, oysters need to be restored. One healthy oyster reef can provide habitat for more than an estimated 300 different organisms like adult and juvenile fishes, shrimp, clams and blue crabs. In addition to providing reef habitat, one adult oyster filters between 25-50 gallons of water per day, filtering out sediment, bacteria, nutrients and plankton. The final equation is very simple … more oysters mean more habitat for aquatic species, more seafood for us, and cleaner water for everyone.

"The Eastern Oyster: Food Filter, and Fun! Produced by NC Coastal Federation

     NCCF has been conducting oyster habitat restoration and creation projects along the central and southern coast since 1998. In partnership with the NC Division of Marine Fisheries over 30,000 bushels of oyster shell, including recycled oyster shell have been planted at the sites, forming the base of the new reefs. Seeding of the new reefs with oyster larvae occurs with help from J&B Aquafood and Carteret Community College, and the projects are monitored over time. All of this happens with the generous support and hours of field time of hundreds of local volunteers. Additional information is available on our Oyster Habitat Fact Sheet.
     These efforts have resulted in over seven acres of oyster habitat created or restored in five new oyster sanctuaries and management areas. These projects have been enabled through partnerships with a number of agencies, funders, and volunteers, and guided by the North Carolina Oyster Plan. The plan was developed by a concerned group of regulators, researchers, aquaculture experts, and restoration groups. The Oyster Plan and its regional workgroups seek to identify areas that are particularly at risk and come up with strategic projects aimed at restoring these areas.

NCCF Achieves Our Oyster Habitat Restoration Goals Through the Following Projects:

• Williston Creek: In 2004, two acres of oyster reef habitat area were created in Carteret County in Williston Creek, located downstream from North River Farms and draining into Jarrett Bay and eventually Core Sound. This project was funded by the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Program and the Fish America Foundation.
• Everett Bay: In 2004, four acres of oyster reef habitat area were created in Everett Bay, located in Stump Sound near Holly Ridge. This project was funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Restoration Center, through the Community Based Restoration Program.
• Hoop Pole Creek: In 2004, two new oyster reefs were created in Carteret County in Hoop Pole Creek, located in Bogue Sound near Atlantic Beach. These reefs are part of an ongoing oyster restoration effort at this site that involves nearly 0.4 acres. The newest reefs were funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
• Hewlett's Creek: In 2004, one acre of oyster habitat was created in New Hanover in Hewlett's Creek, which drains from the Wilmington area into Masonboro Sound. This project is being monitored by UNC-Wilmington, and was funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
• Alligator Bay: In 2005, 3.5 acres of oyster reef area was created in Alligator Bay, located in Stump Sound.  This project was funded by Restore America's Estuaries, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Fish America Foundation.