Thanks to a $14.9 million grant from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration and a $1 million state appropriation, the Federation is working to complete the Pamlico Sound Oyster Sanctuary.
Beginning in 2009, the Coastal Federation joined the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries in efforts to build oyster sanctuary reefs and during that time has built hundreds of acres of reefs in Pamlico Sound. The goal is to construct a 500-acre system of reefs that state lawmakers call the Jean Preston Memorial Oyster Sanctuary after one of their Senate colleagues who was a passionate supporter of the effort. This work has received significant financial support from both the North Carolina General Assembly and NOAA. Construction of the reefs is managed by the Division of Marine Fisheries, with assistance from the Federation. Private marine and barge contractors, trucking and mining companies, and universities are hired to build and then evaluate these reefs.
In 2022, 363 acres of the system were completed. Another 20 acres of reef construction was funded by NOAA in 2023 and completed. In 2024, a total of 40 acres were constructed at new oyster sanctuary sites called Brant Island and Maw Point. Work on those two sites will continue in 2025. Through this funding, the Federation, the Division of Marine Fisheries, and partners plan to finish the 500-acre Jean Preston Memorial Oyster Sanctuary in Pamlico Sound over the next three years.
The sanctuary system is carefully designed and adaptively managed based on extensive published research. This research shows that the sanctuary reefs now supply a significant quantity of oyster spat that help to maintain and grow productive and sustainable populations of wild oysters throughout the entire sound. Based upon this research and ongoing state monitoring of the reefs that are constructed, new goals for additional sanctuary acreage beyond 500 acres are likely to emerge as part of the N.C. Oyster Restoration Blueprint planning process; the goals will also be informed by the results of this project.
The Federation and its partners will build 120 acres of oyster reef over the three years of the project. Completing the sanctuary system will require a massive construction effort that will provide direct economic benefits to many coastal communities classified as underserved by NOAA.
The employment opportunities generated by this form of reef construction were documented in reports to NOAA by the Federation when it completed building nearly 50 acres of reefs that were funded in 2009 and 2010 under the American Recovery and Investment Act. This economic study of benefits will be updated during the project by a study by RTI, International, a well-known consulting firm that evaluated the economic benefits of our oyster restoration work over a decade ago. Moreover, as shown by the scientific research already completed on the existing reefs, these sanctuary reefs are vital to maintaining and growing the commercial, recreational, and tourism businesses throughout the state’s coast.
Training the Next Generation of Oyster Scientists
The grant received from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration and state appropriations will also allow the Federation and partners at North Carolina Central University and North Carolina State University’s Center for Marine Sciences and Technology to collaborate on training the next generation of marine scientists and restoration professionals.
Eight students will be sponsored thanks to this innovative partnership. Through their engagement with the oyster sanctuary project, students will receive graduate school tuition, room and board, stipends, and specialized training such as Open Water and Scientific Diving Certifications. You can read more about these students and the work they are doing, here.
Partners: North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, North Carolina Central University, North Carolina State University’s Center for Marine Sciences and Technology, North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island, NOAA Federal, Research Triangle Institute.
Funding Source: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration and State Appropriations.
The Restoration Continues
You can support even more oyster restoration by Adopting an Oyster.