Community Corner

ReClam the Bay Calls on Public to Locate Oysters

Grass roots organization hopes to use 'all available eyes' to document the presence of eastern oysters in the Barnegat Bay.

Calling all bay lovers! ReClam the Bay, a grass roots organization working to repopulate the Barnegat Bay with shellfish, is asking bay enthusiasts to help in its efforts.

“ReClam The Bay is actively interested in changes in the bay, and while it monitors the growth of shellfish in its nurseries, it is also interested in changes that can only be observed by people who use the bay,” spokesman Charles Brandt said in a news release.

The nonprofit is asking people to help with its project of identifying locations where wild oysters are found in the Barnegat Bay.

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“The idea is to use all available eyes to keep a look out and document the presence of eastern oysters in Barnegat Bay, adjacent lagoons and tributaries,” Brandt said.

Those who locate oysters are asked to submit their finds to barnegatbayoysters@gmail.com. Questions can also be sent to that email address. ReClam the Bay requests as much information as possible, including the location, substrate, number and approximate size.

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Individuals willing to help in ReClam the Bay’s efforts can use a handheld GPS or pick up a Department of Environmental Protection Shellfish map and mark the location. The map can be found here and at the location at the time of purchase of a shellfish license.

Oysters were found on the riprap of Oyster Creek, on rocks at the inlet, attached to the bulkhead at Barnegat town dock and occasional boat bottoms, he said in the news release. The shellfish can also be located at the salt marsh sod bank margins, vinyl bulkheads and other smooth attachment sites.

Oysters tend to settle on a hard surface once they leave the larvae state, he said. Oysters are often found close to the surface, and as a result spend part of their day out of the water.

“The best time to look is on a low or blow out tide and it makes a great excuse for a kayak tour,” Brandt said.

ReClam the Bay has been raising baby oysters and placing them on a reef of shell built in the Barnegat Bay with the assistance of the Barnegat Bay Partnership. Those oysters are expected to be of the breeding age, and their larvae would now be attaching to hard surfaces throughout the bay, Brandt said.

A program such as this is important in furthering awareness of shellfish and the Barnegat Bay, Shellfish Reef Biologist for the state Department of Environmental Protection Jeff Normant said.

“It gets people aware of what’s going on in the bay,” he said, adding that documenting where the oysters are helps the public gain an understanding of the bay as a viable environment. “Any information is valuable.”

Barnegat Bay Partnership continues to support ReClam the Bay's efforts to revitalize the shellfish industry, which has been further decimated by Hurricane Sandy, Program Director Stanton Hales said.

"Shellfish are important components of estuarine ecosystems," he said in an email. "They provide habitat for other species, and can improve the clarity of water by filter-feeding on phytoplankton, which is their principal food. They are also great to eat!"

But shellfish larvae are sensitive to water conditions, including dissolved oxygen, temperature, harmful algal blooms stimulated by excess nutrients, certain pollutants and other changes to ecosystems, Hales said. Shellfish numbers have also been reduced due to overharvest and habitat loss. 

"If shellfish are to recover in the Barnegat Bay, stakeholders need to develop and invest in a long-term restoration plan guided by better and more comprehensive science about shellfish and the bay," he said.

Brandt emphasized that there is an open season for harvesting oysters, but a New Jersey shellfish license must be obtained and regulations followed. People are not allowed to take shellfish from unapproved waters, such as along most bulkheads, and the minimum size is 3 inches long.

ReClam the Bay raises more than 1,000,000 baby clams and releases 300,000 oysters in the Barnegat Bay yearly. Wednesday, May 15 is the target date for the arrival of baby clams, the size of the head of a pin, to arrive at nurseries around the bay.

The Barnegat Bay Shellfish Restoration Program’s "Shellfish Gardener" trains most of the ReClam the Bay volunteers. An open house will be held Tuesday, May 7, in association with the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Program of Ocean County.

For more information visit ReClamtheBay.org or call 732-349-1152.


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