Carper's Corner
July 7, 2006 - Kent County
On a picture-perfect summer day this past Friday, I joined a number of my fellow Delawareans in the town of Leipsic to celebrate the one-year anniversary of a large-scale effort to reverse the decline in the oyster population of the Delaware Bay.
As I addressed the crowd on the docking station of the research vessel, First State, on the Leipsic River, I asked, "Who here likes oysters?" Roughly half of the people in the audience raised their hand. I laughed and said, "I love oysters. But, you know who doesn't? My youngest son."
He thinks they're ugly. Maybe even a little creepy. I suppose that a number of other people feel the same way. "Oysters are beautiful," I told him. "Not only do they taste good, they're good for us. And besides that," I continued, "they filter and clean the waters in which they grow, and we have them right here in the Delaware Bay."
After several of us had welcomed everyone and made some opening comments, I joined Congressman Castle, Governor Minner, and DNREC Secretary Hughes as we took a 35-minute boat trip into the Delaware Bay to see, first-hand, a "shell-planting" on the Bay.
What is shell-planting? It's just like it sounds. Clean surf clamshells are deposited on oyster beds to create a habitat that floating larvae can attach to, and then oysters begin growing. Oysters can be left in that area until they reach maturity in three or four years, or they may be transplanted to other beds to revitalize another habitat.
On the way out to the planting site, we had some lunch and I had a real interesting talk with Leonard "Limbo" Voss, who is chairman of the Delaware Shellfish Advisory Council. Limbo has been harvesting oysters in these waters for about 30 years. He started when he was ten years old, and like his father, uncle, and brother, has made a living from harvesting oysters, but also conchs, blue crabs, eels, and striped bass. We talked about how the oysters and the Bay have changed over time, but we both agreed that people in this area don't really know where the oysters they are eating come from.
When people think about oysters, many may not think they come from the Delaware Bay. However, our waters have been producing eastern oysters since the 1800s. In the 1990s, however, our oyster industry faced serious threats, such as disease, habitat loss, and over-harvesting. Since 1995, shell-planting has helped get the oyster population back on track, which is great news - not only for oyster-lovers like me - but for our economy and local oyster harvesters as well.
In addition to being good to eat, oysters actually help keep the bay water clean. Oysters and their habitats provide homes for other marine organisms, which attract crustaceans and small fish, providing a healthy ecological cycle. I like to say, "The oyster is a gift that keeps on giving!" And it's true.
As I stood with Mike Castle on the bow of the First State, we watched the New Jersey-owned boat, Jeanne Christine, moving slowly through the water, drop what seemed like an endless supply of clamshells into the bay. The first load came from the starboard side of the large black boat, and that was followed by a large, splashing load from the port side.
This was a repeat of what happened in July 2005, the anniversary we were celebrating, when 280,000 bushels, or approximately 150 acres of shells, were planted in New Jersey and Delaware to begin the restoration.
I am told this shell-planting program could increase oyster production by approximately 200,000 to 400,000 bushels each year, with a possible economic impact of up to $60 million between Delaware and New Jersey. All told, though, it will likely take three years or more to rebuild the populations, but one of the marine biologists on board told us that the program has been an unqualified success thus far.
At the behest of the Delaware and New Jersey congressional delegations, Congress originally provided $300,000 for this project in fiscal year 2005, followed by an additional $2 million allocation in 2006 to continue and expand the plantings on a larger scale. Matching funds have been provided by oystermen in Delaware and New Jersey, the Cumberland County Empowerment Zone, and the Delaware River and Bay Authority. This is truly teamwork at its finest, and, I firmly believe, it is money well spent.
As the shells started their descent to the bottom of the bay, our boat turned and headed for the dock. And, I left with thoughts of oysters for dinner.
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