The use of floating gear to culture oysters, Crassostrea virginica, has grown over the last several decades as both the industry and technology has advanced. While floating gear is not permitted in all areas or for all farms, some oyster farms and even some municipal shellfish programs use floating gear extensively due to advantages in survival and growth. Floating gear does have its draw backs, including the attractiveness to local bird populations that utilize the gear as a roosting space, including species of terns, gulls, and cormorants. This issue came to a head in 2024 when Campylobacter jejuni illnesses were reported from commercially consumed oysters and birds were implicated through trace back to a growing area utilizing floating gear.
A large array of bird deterrents have been attempted by Massachusetts oyster growers and their effectiveness was discussed at a roundtable type meeting of growers. No universally effective options are apparent but an approach without significant gear modification was desired. One method, the laser scarecrow developed by the University of Rhode Island, has shown effectiveness in deployments at cornfields and orchards. Trial deployments are underway on shellfish farms in fall of 2024 and will be discussed in the context of the challenges of the marine environment, and farms in a public space.