Louisiana’s oyster industry has long relied on oystermen who harvest by traditional dredge methods from the 1.7 million acres of public reefs or from their managed 400,403 acres of private leases from the state. From 2003 through 2022, Louisiana accounted for 32.3% of the nation’s oyster landings and produced 7,220,000 pounds of oyster meat in 2022 alone. This traditional harvest practice persists today, but the emergence of Alternative Oyster Culture (AOC) has introduced a complementary approach: off-bottom oyster farming using floating cage systems. This "Down on the Farm" session explores the historical context and future potential of this innovative sector within Louisiana’s oyster industry.
Since about 2007, the influx of freshwater from natural and human-induced processes has diminished the principal public oyster grounds on the east side of the Mississippi River resulting in a precipitous transition from an approximate 50:50 public-private production split to the private leases now accounting for over 95% of the state’s oyster landings. This shift has increased harvest pressure on private oyster leases and focuses on water bottoms which may not be suitable for traditional harvest methods but could be suitable for off-bottom AOC cage culture.
In the past two decades, off-bottom oyster culture has spread across Louisiana and other northern Gulf and South Atlantic states. Louisiana boasts a deep-rooted fisheries tradition, and many of the AOC farmers, even if they are not traditional commercial fishers themselves, often have a family history in the oyster industry spanning generations. At present, most of the AOC farmers operate within four aquaculture maritime zones i.e., aquaculture parks, where water bottoms are subdivided into smaller leased plots, facilitating easier entry into AOC operations.
Louisiana’s AOC parks include Grand Isle (53 acres), Cameron (47 acres), and Dos Gris, a private park near Grand Isle (48 acres). Besides the three aquatic parks, totaling 148 acres, there are presently another 117 acres of AOC permitted water bottoms located on privately owned or state-leased land. Initially, AOC grew slowly but is now gaining momentum, with all three Louisiana AOC parks fully leased. This maritime zone model can potentially continue to expand within Louisiana’s private and traditionally leased water bottoms.
A notable initiative in this area is a branding and marketing campaign led by the Jefferson Economic Development Commission (JEDCO), in collaboration with the Grand Isle Port Commission and Louisiana Sea Grant. This campaign promotes Grand Isle’s off-bottom oysters, cultivated within the Grand Isle Park, through marketing videos, brand graphics, and a dedicated website to enhance the visibility and appeal of Grand Isle oysters. Although initially met with little interest within the state, AOC aims to diversify the oyster industry, and its growth continues.