Research Article: Eastern Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) in the Hudson-Raritan Estuary: Restoration Research and Shellfishery Policy

Abstract

relief caused by winter storm energies. The research ended abruptly on August 9, 2010, when New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection rescinded the project permit because of concerns that research oysters were beginning to reach New Jersey’s market size of 2.5 inches. Although initial data suggest that oysters can survive and reproduce in Raritan Bay and the potential exists to achieve oyster restoration goals included in the CRP, the project also highlights the current lack of agreement between shellfishery regulators and restoration practitioners with respect to oyster reintroduction in waters where shellfish harvesting is currently prohibited. Different shellfish management approaches are used in New England states (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut), where local control is an important management tool, and in Chesapeake Bay states (Maryland and Virginia), where federal involvement is relatively high. Situated between these two distinct shellfish-producing regions, New Jersey and New York have not supported aggressive reestablishment of historic Eastern Oyster populations in the HRE, and unlike adjacent states, have not developed long-term oyster aquaculture plans. The reluctance to support oyster restoration is due to concerns related to human health and ecological