Shifting Tides Oyster News Roundup - Jan 2, 2021
This news roundup from around the Commonwealth and the country includes stories about impactful oyster restoration work, the power of estuaries, and how climate change is shaping our coastlines.
Massachusetts Oyster Restoration
Emma Green-Beach from the Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group speaks to the Martha’s Vineyard Times about the organization’s restoration efforts and the importance of restoring oysters to local waters.
The Nature Conservancy is purchasing 5 million surplus oysters from growers and using them in nearby restoration projects in Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire. This comes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has negatively impacted the oyster industry.
The Massachusetts Shellfish Initiative (MSI) Strategic Plan Work Group (SPWG) will reconvene the week of January 11 to discuss recommended actions from its December 14th meeting for inclusion in a consensus draft that will then be distributed for public comment. Learn more and stay engaged at the initiative’s website.
The Southeastern Aquaculture Center, Cape Cod Extension and Woods Hole Sea Grant are offering an aquaculture fundamentals training course. The course meets once a week for ten weeks February through April, for $75.
Oyster Restoration News Around The United States
Maddy Wachtel of the Billion Oyster Project speaks with The Power Charitable Trusts about the history of oysters in New York, the value and method of creating oyster reefs, how the group recycles shells and what people can do to support restoration efforts.
New York City has learned from the devastating impacts of Hurricane Sandy and has invested in oyster restoration as a tool for mitigating damage from future storms.
Oyster restoration in Virginia has improved water quality, but could also boost outdoor tourism and recreation.
Climate Impacts
A new study shows that more than half of Hudson River tidal marshes were created accidentally by humans, and that these marshes are growing upward at a faster rate than sea level rise.
The Orlando Sentinel has published its final installment of a series looking at the prospects for saving each river system in the region threatened by climate change.
The Good, The Bad and the Hot for Florida’s environment in 2020.
The Massachusetts Oyster Project is an all-volunteer non-profit working to strengthen our coastal environment by restoring native shellfish populations to our beaches and coastal estuaries. Through oyster cultivation, shell recycling, education and advocacy we can improve water quality, increase the diversity of sea life and mitigate the effects of climate change.