Year: 2020
Project(s):
Relevance
COVID-19 restrictions decimated the aquaculture industry due to lack of demand. Oyster farmers were unable to sell their product to the the premium half shell market because it had largely ceased to exist and oysters continue to grow—reaching non-market size. This resulted in farmers seeking alternative venues to sell their oysters so that they could obtain any value for the products they raised. Meanwhile, restoration of Mississippi’s and Alabama’s natural oyster habitat had beome a major priority due to habitat losses from recent stressors.
Response
Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium developed a program that would purchase oversized oysters for restoration purposes. The Sea Grant program worked with resource agencies in both states to identify oyster reefs for planting farmed oysters and recruited farmers to provide oysters and deploy them on pre-determined restoration sites. MASGC also coordinated logistics and recruited additional partners to support the effort.
Results
During the reporting period a total of 7 farmers received payments for 70,000 oysters that otherwise would have had no value. Using values from the oyster gardening program, which plants smaller size oysters, planting 70,000 oysters in coastal Alabama and Mississippi represents an economic valuation of $75,000 in addition to the $19,600 farmers received for their oysters and deployment costs.
Recap
Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant created a program that restored critical oyster habitat while compensating oyster farmers for product that had grown out of markettable size due to the COVID pandemic, which resulted in a win-win for the environment and industry. (2020)