OYSTER RIVER IS TARGET OF INCREASED HABITAT & RESOURCE RESTORATION PROGRAM
Seafood Industry Invited to Join Expanded Program in 2003

The efforts by Noank Aquaculture Cooperative and the Nature Conservancy to re-establish a commercial oyster bed and create an oyster-spawning site in Oyster River, Connecticut are included in the award announcement made today by NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries), Ocean Trust and the National Fisheries Institute. Awards totaling $118,315 were announced for nine new community-based habitat and resource restoration projects.

The projects are designed to enhance a variety of marine habitats and fisheries in the coastal areas of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Maryland, Virginia, Texas, Washington and Alaska. Ocean Trust is coordinating the projects, with technical input from NOAA Fisheries regional staff.

“Restoring our coastal environment and commercial fisheries to a healthy level is a major undertaking,” said Bill Hogarth, director of NOAA Fisheries. “With the support of Ocean Trust, the National Fisheries Institute and other partners, we are making progress in this area by encouraging the local community to work with us on restoration projects and to raise awareness of the importance of our valuable marine habitats.”

Officials encouraged seafood businesses and volunteers to get involved in habitat restoration by submitting proposals during the 2003 project solicitation period that will open on January 15. “We’d like to invite seafood companies, restaurants, retailers and the public to join in this partnership to restore habitat and local fisheries,” said Thor Lassen, president of Ocean Trust. “This is a tremendous opportunity to build a strong coalition with public participants to enhance fishery-dependent ecosystems.”

All three partners echoed the win-win nature of this public/private partnership, which began in June 2000 with three initial projects. “The commercial fish and seafood industry is committed to the restoration and conservation of important fish habitat,” said Justin LeBlanc, National Fisheries Institute vice president for government relations. “Restoring these areas means a healthier coastal environment and improved fisheries for fishermen and consumers who love seafood.”

While the overall goal of habitat restoration is the same, the specific designs and goals of the projects are quite distinct. The following projects began work during the summer of 2002.

• In Massachusetts, Ocean Trust and NOAA Fisheries are working with Egg Island Oyster Company and the Wellfleet Shellfish Department to restore the Cape Cod quahog fishery. Grant award for this effort was $16,015.
• In Connecticut, Ocean Trust and NOAA Fisheries are working with the Noank Aquaculture Cooperative and the Nature Conservancy to re-establish a commercial oyster bed and create an oyster-spawning site in Oyster River. Grant award for this effort was 14,875.
• In New York, Ocean Trust and NOAA Fisheries are working with Cornell Cooperative Extension and local shellfish growers to enhance bay scallop stocks and study benefits of scallop cage culture as habitat for blackfish in Hallocks Bay and Hay Harbor. Grant award for this effort was $15,000.
• In Maryland, Ocean Trust and NOAA Fisheries are working with GordonShellfish to restore hard clam and disease-resistant Eastern oyster cross-breed beds in Chincoteague Bay. Grant award for this effort was $14,250.
• In Virginia, Ocean Trust and NOAA Fisheries are working with Omega Protein and the Elizabeth River Project on the restoration of wetlands along Paradise Creek. Grant award for this effort was $10,000.
• In Anahuac, Texas, Ocean Trust and NOAA Fisheries are working with Jeri’s Seafood to restore a salt marsh system at Smith Point. Grant award for this effort was $11,400.
• In south Texas, Ocean Trust and NOAA Fisheries are working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and local shrimp companies to advance the largest single restoration project in the U.S. at Bahia Grande, an 11,000 acre shallow water estuary. Grant award for this effort was $5,850.
• In the state of Washington, Ocean Trust and NOAA Fisheries are working with the Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association and the Puget Sound Restoration Fund to re-establish commercially viable oyster populations within Henderson Inlet. Grant award for this effort was $15,750.
• In Alaska, Ocean Trust and NOAA Fisheries are working with the Prince William Sound Science Center to restore a razor clam seed bank in the Copper River Delta of Cordova. Grant award for this effort was $15,175.