05-11-03: Oyster Restoration Master Plan

   Oysters, oysters and more oysters! In nutshell (or oyster shell), that was the topic of last year's State of the Coast Report. In our annual publication we explored North Carolina's oyster fishery by land and by sea. We examined the steep decline in commercial oyster harvests and the continued threats from land-based pollution to our native oysters. And we suggested ways to bring oysters back to their former prominence.
     As most of us know, oysters are a salty treat that is delicious to eat. Oysters are not only food source, but also serve as natural water filters and as habitat. Oysters remove sediments and impurities from the water, thereby improving water quality – a benefit for all aquatic life. An oyster can filter water at a rate of about 1,500 times its body volume each hour or about 50 gallons per day.

     Perhaps the greatest contribution oysters offer is as habitat for a diversity of aquatic life. When oysters colonize along the bottom, the reefs they construct serve as "building blocks," creating habitat and nurseries for a variety of fish, crabs and plants. Oyster reefs are literally teeming with biological activity. Blue crabs, red drum, speckled trout, flounder, shrimps and river herring are a few of the species that depend on oyster reefs.
     The presence of oyster reefs can also significantly reduce erosion of shorelines. Because oysters are a keystone species in the estuary environment, the health of the oyster population can be considered a reflection of the health of the ecosystem.
     "You can hardly find a species more central to the functioning of an estuarine system than an oyster," says Charles H. "Pete" Peterson, University of North Carolina's Institute of Marine Sciences.
     Since the early 1900s, oyster populations in North Carolina have plummeted. Oyster harvesting in the state reached its height from 1889 through 1908, with record high landings of 1.8 million bushels in 1902. Because of a variety factors – overharvesting, pollution, diseases, and mechanical dredging – oyster harvests have dropped more than 97 percent since their heyday. By comparison, only 48,707 bushels were commercially harvested in 2001. With the loss of oysters and oyster habitat, other aquatic species have become stressed as well.

A Blueprint for Action

February is a great time of the year for enjoying Stump Sound oysters. So the Coastal Federation gathered up a few bushels and invited more than 50 scientists, fishermen, educators, and policy- makers to our Shorekeeper Learning Center to talk about ways to restore North Carolina's oyster population. And eat oysters.

     Participants at the Oyster Forum agreed that the state needs to do all it can to enhance its native oyster population. There was also broad agreement on the steps we can take over the next three to five years to begin the long process of bringing our oysters back.
     Out of these discussions emerged an Oyster Restoration and Protection Action Plan. Here are a few of the objectives:

• Organize a Steering Committee & Work Groups
  Form a steering committee made up of key representatives from organizations and citizens actively working to restore and protect oysters in North Carolina. The steering committee is responsible for overseeing implementation of the Oyster Restoration and Protection Plan. Members of the steering committee will also assemble and chair working groups to carry out the goals and objectives in the plan.
• Hold a Public Forum on Oysters
  The Oyster Forum on February 14 was an invitation only meeting. The next step is to take our message to the public. The public forum will educate and involve the public on the importance of restoring and protecting oysters. Public support is critical to gain political support for restoring and protecting oysters.
• Develop Short-Term Objectives for Each Watershed
  The problems are different in each watershed along the coast. Some are urbanized, while others are quite rural. Each watershed has to be looked at individually to develop measurable objectives for restoring and protecting oyster-growing areas. These analyses could guide wetlands restoration projects, identify sources of land-based pollution, and determine the best areas to conduct oyster-restoration projects.
• Increase Oyster Restoration Projects
  The Division of Marine Fisheries' (DMF) Shellfish Rehabilitation Program could double its oyster restoration activities. But oyster cultch, or shell, is hard to come by and is expensive to buy. DMF planted about 500,000 bushels of cultch in the mid-1990s. Because of state budget cuts, DMF can only buy enough cultch for half as many oyster restorations today. DMF already has the barges and staff to double its oyster restorations. This working group would seek to increase funds for DMF's Shellfish Rehabilitation Program so that one million bushels could be planted in 2007. Other ideas for increasing oyster restoration activities include tapping the NC Department of Transportation's mitigation funds, promoting a coastwide shell recycling program, and acquiring strategic sites for stockpiling and deploying oyster shells.

• Promote Natural Alternatives to Shoreline Erosion
  Shorelines that use marsh and rocks for erosion protection have high ecological value for aquatic life. There needs to be a general permit for marsh creation and stone sill projects under the Coastal Area Management Act. Oyster reefs can also be used as a technique to protect shorelines from erosion. A demonstration project to evaluate the effectiveness of oyster reefs in protecting estuarine shorelines is planned.
• Increase Public Awareness of Oysters
  Public support for oyster restoration and protection activities is a key element of the plan. There are a number of ways for citizens to get involved in restoring oysters. This working group is slated to promote an oyster shell recycling program in coastal communities. Oyster restorations are also a great way to engage youth and adults in planting cultch in restoration areas. Other actions may include providing guidelines for citizen restoration activities, such as where to place oysters; holding public forums or educational seminars on oysters; and developing a proposal for backyard oyster gardening or community oyster sanctuary.
• Expand Markets for Oysters
  North Carolina oysters are the best. They are salty and scrumptious. The state should develop a marketing plan for promoting North Carolina oysters, including the creation of brand identification. Equally important is to ensure confidence among consumers that North Carolina oysters are raised and harvested in clean water and are safe to eat.
• Promote Oyster Mariculture
  Raising oysters is a skill. New oyster farmers will need encouragement and assistance to be successful. We need to provide support to potential oyster farmers and develop a set of best management practices for oyster mariculture. Another tool would be to create a one-acre mariculture demonstration park to show prospective oyster farmers the tools of the trade.
• Secure Funds to Restore and Protect Shellfish Waters
  Funding is a critical to carrying out this comprehensive Oyster Restoration and Protection Plan. This working group will identify and pursue land acquisition grants to preserve pristine watersheds and restore drained watersheds adjacent to productive shellfish growing areas. It will also pursue grants and loans directed at cleaning up existing sources of point and nonpoint source pollution in the coastal area.
• Improve Water Quality Rules & Enforcement
  Water quality rules are simply ineffective if there is insufficient staff for enforcement. The NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources must hire more enforcement staff to replace positions lost through years of budget cuts. The state also needs to approve new Phase II Stormwater Program rules to will prevent stormwater pollution from degrading shellfishing waters. These new rules must include a provision that prohibits new or expanded discharges to shellfish waters.
• Monitor the Quality of Shellfish Waters
  The Division of Environmental Health is responsible for testing shellfish waters and determining whether the oysters are safe to eat. These Sanitary Shoreline Surveys can be expanded to determine where water pollution is coming from and whether permits issued by regulatory agencies are in compliance with water quality standards. This working group will also identify areas where stormwater or wastewater discharges should be removed.
  

     The effort to restore oysters and oyster habitat must be linked to the many ongoing planning efforts in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Of particular importance is a linkage with the One North Carolina Naturally Plan that will set priorities for land conservation and restoration throughout the state. Additional linkages will be made with the Wetlands Restoration Plans, Coastal Habitat Protection Plans, and Basinwide Water Quality Plans, among others.
     The Oyster Restoration and Protection Plan is a bold effort. It will bring together and coordinate the activities and resources of private and public efforts to bring backs oysters in North Carolina. Oysters are a bellwether for the health of coastal ecosystems. If we can restore and protect oysters, our coast will be healthy too.