The Nature Conservancy: Farming Oysters and Restoring Reefs

To: Bluedot Living
From: Amanda Cutler, Ocean Program Fellow at The Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts
Subject: Farming Oysters and Restoring Reefs Go Hand-in-Hand

It’s 7 am on a Friday morning in May. An oyster grower on Martha’s Vineyard shows up in a pickup truck to Wilson’s Landing on Meshacket Cove with 16,000 oysters, another with 11,000 oysters, a third with 9,000 oysters, and one last grower with 5,000 oysters. It’s not a novel sight to see these growers hauling adult oysters in large totes this early in the morning, but if you look in the totes, these aren’t the smooth two-and-a-half inch shells that you would find at open bars and restaurants. These are rugged, oversized shells going to an oyster reef restoration site in Edgartown Great Pond.

Shellfish, and in particular reef-forming species such as oysters, are foundation species in critical coastal areas that provide benefits to the estuary environment and the other plants and animals living there. Yet over 85 percent of oyster reefs worldwide have disappeared due to overharvest, disease, pollution, and climate change. With the loss of oyster habitat comes the loss of the ecosystem services they provide, including filtering water, removing excess nitrogen, and providing habitat for other marine life. Impaired ecosystem function can then have ripple effects that impact larger ecological, cultural, and economic systems. 

There are currently two oyster reef restoration sites on Martha’s Vineyard: in Edgartown Great Pond and Tisbury Great Pond. Each restoration site consists of a layer of cultch, or fragmented shell, underneath several layers of single adult oversize oysters that are dropped onto the sites each fall and spring to promote oyster population growth and mimic the benefits of a natural oyster reef. 

Oyster habitat restoration is one nature-based solution that The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is exploring to improve the health and climate resilience of coastal ecosystems while supporting sustainable blue economies and communities. Supporting the aquaculture industry has been shown to increase the scale at which coastal habitat is restored, while also contributing to the economy and much-needed sustainable food production. There is strong evidence that shellfish aquaculture farms, when sited and managed appropriately, provide similar benefits to the environment as wild oyster habitat, including improving water quality and providing food and habitat for other species. It’s a reciprocity of benefits for the farms and reef ecosystem. 

To support the aquaculture industry in being active partners in oyster restoration, TNC and Pew Charitable Trust initiated the Supporting Oyster Aquaculture and Restoration (SOAR) program during the Covid-19 pandemic as a response to restaurant closures that eliminated the market for shellfish. Participating oyster farmers across the United States were paid to supply their unmarketable product to TNC for enhancing and creating oyster reef habitat. Since 2020, the program has supported 125 shellfish farming companies across seven states, and in Massachusetts, purchased about 460,000 mature oysters from 10 growers along the south coast, Cape Cod, and Martha’s Vineyard, who received nearly $250,000. The program continues today and is currently funded until 2026. 

The SOAR program provides growers with an additional income stream while aiding reef recovery — a win for people and the planet. In addition to dropping excess adult oysters onto the restoration sites, growers have been recently exploring the option of growing oysters specifically for restoration purposes through a “spat-on-shell” pilot. Oysters are grown from seed in a nursery, where they latch onto a shell that is then transported to the restoration sites where they continue to grow. TNC is continuing to collaborate with the local aquaculture community to shape the future of the SOAR program and a farmer-based restoration market in Massachusetts.

Implementation of the program on the Vineyard has been largely supported by key project partners Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group (MVSG). In addition to running their own hatchery and shell recycling program, they oversee oyster drop-offs, data collection, and monitoring of the restoration sites. They also act as a liaison with individual growers in the community.

“The SOAR program has been great for MVSG, the growers, and the Edgartown Great Pond ecosystem,” says Emma Green-Beach, Executive Director and Shellfish Biologist at MVSG. “The program has added a new aspect to the oyster restoration we do, as well as a new way to collaborate with local growers. We are thrilled for the opportunity to work with the amazing staff of TNC and I hope the program can continue for many seasons, perhaps at additional sites on the Vineyard.” 

Green-Beach helped lead the oyster drop-off this spring with a team of MVSG staff, who are sometimes accompanied by the Edgartown Shellfish Department to transfer the oysters to a boat to carry to the restoration site. 

TNC and MVSG have already begun planning for the next round of oyster purchases and drop-offs in the fall. Thus far, the SOAR program has been successful in ensuring a healthier coast and increasing oyster habitat to provide a sustainable source of food and income for generations to come. TNC looks forward to building this into a long-term program and increasing opportunities for the aquaculture industry to be active in oyster restoration.