Oysters and oyster farming are a highly valued part of Connecticut’s maritime economy, environment, and culture. Connecticut has nearly 10,000 acres of protected natural oyster habitat. These beds have served as the primary source of seed for the state’s multi-million-dollar oyster industry, have sustained commercial harvest for nearly two centuries, and are among the world’s few self-sustaining oyster populations. Yet there are environmental and human-induced impacts to these critical habitats that reduce their function and ability to provide ecosystem services.
In 2018, the state began in a major planning effort to restore its oyster beds. The effort focused on characterizing oyster habitat across the state, compiling environmental and human use data for decision-making, and establishing management, research, outreach, and policy actions to help further facilitate oyster restoration and resulted in the CT Shellfish Restoration Guide (http://shellfish.uconn.edu/natural ). While many needs were identified, two primary logistical hurdles existed including: 1) a lack of available workforce and work vessels, 2) limited funding for purchase of mature oysters and oyster shell substrate.
In 2020, it was the pandemic, ironically, that turned the tide in favor of shellfish restoration. Federal and state agencies provided emergency response funding for aquaculture. Funding was used to keep businesses operational while restaurants were closed, specifically to purchase oysters that could not otherwise be sold and shell substrate, and to pay farmers to plant these on natural beds across the state. Researchers are currently investigating optimal oyster and shell planting densities.
In 2021, the Connecticut General Assembly passed Public Act 21-24 aimed to enhance shellfish restoration and support shell recycling. This was an important move with shell substrate being expensive and in short supply. As a result, regulatory guidance was developed , and a shell recycling coordinator was hired to expand the state’s modest efforts to recover shell. A survey of the food service sector will further inform the state’s plans to incentivize restaurants as well as residents to recycle shell.
It is anticipated that these collective efforts involving a multitude of partner organizations will grow the state’s capacity for oyster restoration, result in a net gain in ecosystem services provided by oyster habitats, and ensure the sustainability of the shellfish industry that depends upon them.