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Oyster gardening in Alabama is in the final preparation stages for the 2018 season. Oysters have been spawned and the larvae should be setting soon. Last season, nearly 80,000 oysters were planted in Alabama and Mississippi’s programs.

The oyster gardening program in Little Lagoon doubled in size, and we anticipate a similar expansion in production this season.

Extremely high rainfall totals last June limited growth in some areas and caused high mortalities in others. We are hopeful that this year’s rainfall will be more normalized, and the juvenile oysters will perform well.

Oysters grow in clumps, which makes them more difficult for predators to access and prevents waves from spreading them out.

If oyster gardening is something you are interested in, follow along on Facebook (Alabama, Mississippi) and Instagram (Alabama, Mississippi) for updates. Or contact us at [email protected] for Alabama residents or [email protected] for Mississippi residents, and join us for the 2019 season.

 

 

 

Meet the author

P.J. Waters, Ph.D.

Associate Extension Professor

P.J. is an associate extension professor with Auburn University. He coordinates the Mobile Bay Oyster Gardening Program and its projects, as well as K-12 aquaculture/aquascience programs. PJ works... Read more

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