Raising Oysters

[tattoo]

yea, it was probably Chrystal clear, what a shame what us humans have done to our water ways.

[jack1747]

yea, it was probably Chrystal clear, what a shame what us humans have done to our water ways.

yepper, but Agnes did a job on her big time

[jack1747]

here is the guys i found:

[jack1747]

Well the first batch of oyster we have raised are now on a protected reef.  Several thousand of oysters donated by CBF oyster gardeners were gathered together this past weekend and put on the reef.  Part of the CBFs plan to jump start oysters in the lower bay.  These are the little ones I started with last year.  Some are over 2 inches.  Got 4000 new babies now. 

[tattoo]

that is some good stuff. good luck with your project. 

[orgsmic]

i have raised oysters in floats and bag floats. But for me i found that relaying is most cost effective way. Only problem with relaying is when oysters prices are hitting there peak your bed will be closed for two monthes. I generally move between 50-75 bushels a day. And even for the small precentage lost you still have spat and shell in water for spawning season.

[jack1747]

This is not a commercial project.  The way I understand it is that a combination of over fishing in the 60’s and disease have caused the oyster population in the Chesapeake to crash.   It seems that Dermo (Dermo Facts http://www.vims.edu/env/research/shellfish/dermo.html ) and MSX (MSX Facts http://www.vims.edu/env/research/shellfish/msx.html ) kill most young oysters in their second season here.  I tested it by keeping some and sure enough they died the second summer.  The CBF is saying that the native oyster will come back in time if protected cause some oysters are naturally resistant to dermo and MSX but it would take a long time.   What the Chesapeake Bay Foundation is doing is trying to jump start the oyster population. 

Oysters reproduce by broadcasting Sperm and Eggs into the water column.  So if there is one oyster at each end of a creek the odds of them reproducing is slim.  However with 1000’s of  Spat, baby oysters, in our floats the biomass is high enough for reproduction to occur. 

What we are doing is once a year we get Spat  via a contribution, tax deductible, to the CBF.  The Spat are placed in bags or Taylor floats at your personal pier.  The owner takes care of the little guys for one year.  The oysters grow and breed, at least once, in your creek.  Then in August the oyster gardeners donate the oysters that they have raised back to the CBF and start the cycle again with new Spat.  The collected oysters go to a protected reef.  With many 1000’s of oysters delivered to the reef in one day the odds for survival is pretty good.  Since the oyster are coming from all over the lower bay they bring different genes to the reef also.

The CBF is saying that this program could bring the oyster population back within 10 years.  The good news is that the guys that have been into it for a few years are reporting wild oysters in their creeks and in the area of the reef, wild oysters are definitely multiplying. .  So, it looks like it is working.

If you have a water front property, here is your way to help the bay.. And it is tax deductible. More info here http://www.deq.virginia.gov/coastal/gardening.html

[Potty Mouth]

I looked at Spat prices I'd say about 10 years ago and while I wanted to get strted, I didn't.  What you guys have done here is get me thinking on it again.  Great job with the thoughts, information and pics here guys.  Thank you!

[unclebuttsy]

Pretty old thread, but good on you Jack. That dirty old bay of yours won't get better until the oysters return.

Come to new england for spat that are free from Dermo, etc.

Those big ones you posted got pretty well drilled. I hope you didn't eat them.

I'd never eat a raw oyster that came from south of Long Island Sound, but that's just me. In fact, I'll never eat an oyster I didn,t pick up myself - why bother?

Never trust an oyster that's called a 'bluepoint'...