Mullica River Oyster Restoration Project
By Gustavo Calvo and
Jeff Normant
Principal Biologists
January, 2007
The Mullica River-Great Bay estuary provides habitat for one
of the last remaining viable oyster populations along the Atlantic
Coast of New Jersey. Historically, the Bureau
of Shellfisheries has conducted an annual survey to assess
the condition of the public seedbeds, located upstream in the
vicinity of the mouth of the Bass River and the public oyster
harvest beds located at the mouth of the Mullica River.
Recently,
the state initiated shell planting and seed transplantation
activities in an effort to sustain the resource and support
the traditional oyster fishery. This initiative began in 2001
with the movement of 2,000 bushels of oysters from the seedbeds
to a four-acre parcel within the harvest bed of Fitney Bit (shown
as "Transplant area" on map). That effort lead to
the first public oyster harvest on the Atlantic Coast of New
Jersey in over 20 years.
In
2005, the Bureau of Shellfisheries was awarded a grant from
the FishAmerica
Foundation and NOAA
Restoration Center to initiate the Mullica River Oyster
Restoration Project. The goal of this project was to enhance
oyster habitat in the Mullica River/Great Bay estuary and to
increase public awareness of the ecological role of oyster habitat
as nursery and foraging ground for recreational finfish. The
educational component of the project was facilitated with the
participation of the Richard
Stockton College of New Jersey. At the time the project
was initiated, the distribution of marketable size oysters in
the estuary was primarily confined to the area of Fitney Bit
that was seeded with oysters in 2001.
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Map
of the Mullica River-Great Bay Estuary
Click
to enlarge
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In May 2006, 2,000 bushels of oyster seed material, equivalent
to approximately 8.7 million oysters, was spread over a four-acre
parcel within the harvest oyster Transplant Area named the "Reef".
These oysters were transplanted from Moss Point, one of the
two seedbeds located approximately 10 miles upstream from the
Reef.
For
a period of five years, harvest will not be allowed on the Reef
to protect the restored habitat, as per the Bureau's agreement
with the FishAmerica Foundation.
In support of the traditional oyster fishery, and ancillary
to the grant work, the Bureau of Shellfisheries conducted another
transplant in October 2006. This consisted of 2,000 bushels
of seed material from the French's Point seedbed to repopulate
a new four-acre parcel within the harvest bed of Fitney Bit.
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To date, monitoring activities conducted over the seedbeds and
restored areas indicate that those areas continue to exhibit
good condition (high proportion of live oysters relative to
sample volume). Transplanted oysters have shown good performance
in terms of growth and survival.
In
June 2006, four thousand bushels of surf clam shell were planted
to enhance oyster recruitment over a 13-acre parcel within the
seedbed of Moss Point. Surf clam shell provides an excellent
substrate for oyster larvae to settle and Mullica river seedbeds
have a high potential for recruitment.
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In
2005 the index of recruitment at Moss Point, 3,876 juvenile
oyster (spat) per bushel, was one of the highest ever recorded
in the annual survey of the Bureau of Shellfisheries. That level
corresponded with a maximum average of 30 spat per individual
oyster shell as recorded in weekly and seasonal spat collectors
deployed by Stockton College at Moss Point during the project
in 2005.
In
2006, however, overall spat set was of low magnitude and infrequent
occurrence. Despite high recruitment potential, high annual
variability (not unusual in ecological systems and often related
to environmental change) in spat set does not allow for much
confidence or predictions. Based on a similar event on the seedbeds
some years ago, however, the expectation is that there will
be a positive result as the shell "catches" a set
in the following years
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The
importance of oyster habitat to finfish and other marine organisms
was demonstrated by oyster dredge and trawl surveys. The presence
of red beard sponges, blue crabs, mud crabs and macroalgae was
documented both in oyster dredge and trawl surveys. Trawl survey
results indicated the presence of 27 species of finfish in the
general restoration area.
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RELATED
PAGES
Bureau of Shellfisheries
Shellfish
Growing Water Classification - NJDEP Bureau of Marine Water Monitoring
Marine Issue of the Fish
and Wildlife DIGEST
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