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The success of the oyster gardening program in past years has sparked a partnership between the Center for the Inland Bays and Delaware State University to expand the program and make it entirely Delaware based.
E.J. Chalabala, wildlife manager for the Center for the Inland Bays, said he is very pleased with the popularity of oyster gardening. Last year he had 49 gardening sites and this year he has more than 80.
The oyster gardening program, started in 2003, allows citizens to raise oysters from larvae to full-grown. These residents are provided with the oyster “spat” or larvae, which are placed into a floating basket, called a Taylor float, and suspended from their docks. The oysters live in the water column, off the bottom, which allows more water flow and keeps the oysters out of the mud, said Chalabala.
“Experience has shown that oysters grown in Taylor floats suspended off the bottom have better conditions for growth due to increased water flow and greater access to particulate food,” said Chalabala. “In the Taylor floats the spat attain planting size (1 inch to 1.5 inches) much more rapidly than oysters grown on the bottom. Losses to predators are also greatly reduced, increasing survival rate and producing larger, hardier oysters for building reefs and for other restoration work.”
Chalabala has been working with the Delaware Sea Grant Marine Advisory program since 2003. This year he was excited to report that the program is now joining with Delaware State University. The team is designing a research proposal to enhance the oyster gardening project. The partnership was made possible through a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“The center is working with a graduate student and a technician who are monitoring the oyster gardens,” said Chalabala.
Frank Marenghi is the Delaware State University graduate student conducting the research for his thesis on oyster gardens. Kate Rossi-Snook, the technician from Delaware State, will be helping with the project.
They are trying to determine how oysters are best grown in the floats, while studying the habitat, water flow and water quality of the Inland Bays.
Project Director, Gulnihal Ozbay is leading the students and staff through the field and laboratory research training, while John Ewart of the Delaware Sea Grant Aquaculture Extension will provide project planning and direction for the habitat restoration project.
Ewart has also helped bring the oyster spat to Delaware where it is now housed in a large tank at the Delaware Sea Grant building. The center used to get the baby oysters from other suppliers in Maryland, but thanks to the efforts of Ewart and the Sea Grant program, the program is more local than ever.
Contact Rachel Swick at: rswick@capegazette.com
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