A new suite of research has found efforts to restore oyster reefs on the U.S. East Coast has knock-on effects benefitting the economies of Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina.
Two sets of research, one by the North Carolina Coastal Federation and another by Morgan State University’s Patuxent Environmental and Aquatic Research Laboratory in Maryland, U.S.A, found restoring oyster reefs would have direct economic benefits for the surrounding economies. The restoration projects use local quarries to supply rock to serve as the base of restoration projects, and once established the oyster reefs benefit the surrounding ecosystem which in turn boosts both commercial and recreational fishing.
The Morgan State University study used models incorporating biological data on plant and animal species in the waters off Virginia’s Middle Peninsula to estimate ecological and economic impacts of advancing oyster restoration alongside eelgrass recovery. The research estimates restoration efforts would result in an annual 122 percent increase in the region’s blue crab harvest, and a USD 3.1 million (EUR 2.8 million) in the region’s economy, if oyster reefs and eelgrass beds recover.
“NOAA and our partners have invested in large-scale oyster reef restoration around the Chesapeake Bay toward the Chesapeake Bay Program’s goal to restore reefs in 10 tributaries by the end of 2025,” NOAA Fisheries Spokesperson Rachel Hager said. “The intent of this study was to quantify the economic value of restoring oyster reefs and the habitat benefits they provide to other fisheries in the York and Piankatank Rivers.”
In recent years, there has been a strong push for oyster reef restoration in Virginia’s York and Piankatank rivers, designated as the NOAA Middle Peninsula Habitat Focus Area. Restoration has been spearheaded by members of Chesapeake Bay Program’s Virginia Oyster Restoration Workgroup – including NOAA, Viriginia Marine Resources Commission, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and The Nature Conservancy. So far, approximately 204 acres of oyster reefs in the York River, and 497 acres of oyster reefs in the Piankatank River have been restored...
