Restoring Mississippi's Oyster Industry

GULF SPILL OYSTER RESTORATION PROJECTS 

RESTORING LIVING SHORELINES AND REEFS IN MISSISSIPPI ESTUARIES  

The project will restore secondary productivity through the placement of intertidal and subtidal reefs and the use of living shoreline techniques including breakwaters. The project will be implemented at locations in Grand Bay, Graveline Bay, Back Bay of Biloxi and vicinity, and St. Louis Bay in Jackson, Harrison, and Hancock Counties, Mississippi. The project builds on recent collaborative projects implemented by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and The Nature Conservancy. The project will construct up to four miles of breakwaters, five acres of intertidal reef habitat, and 267 acres of subtidal reef habitat. Over time, the breakwaters, intertidal and subtidal restoration areas will develop into living reefs that support benthic secondary productivity, including, but not limited to oysters/bivalve mollusks, annelid worms, shrimp, and crabs. Breakwaters will reduce shoreline erosion as well as marsh loss.

Budget - $30,000,000.00. Timeline - In progress since 2016.

OYSTER SPAWNING REEFS IN MISSISSIPPI PROJECT 

This project will restore or create a minimum of 100 acres and a maximum of 400 acres of high-relief cultch placements in up to six locations in the Mississippi Sound and areas including St. Louis Bay, Heron Bay, Back Bay/Biloxi Bay, Graveline Bay, Pascagoula Bay, and Grand Bay in Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties. This project includes the possibility of placement of more than 400 acres where it is feasible, depending on engineering and design, costs, and other considerations. Cultch placement will be prioritized to areas determined to be the most suitable to maximize restoration benefits within the potential cultch placement areas. The siting of reefs will consider substrate suitability, on-going and planned management activities, and other environmental factors that could affect restoration efforts. No more than 35% of cultch will be placed in harvestable (tonging only) zones with the remaining cultch placement in non-harvestable zones (Restricted and Prohibited Areas).

Budget - $10,000,000.00. Timeline - In progress since 2021.

MISSISSIPPI OYSTER GARDENING PROGRAM 

The project will be implemented over a five-year period utilizing volunteers along the Mississippi Gulf Coast (Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties). This community-volunteer based program is a continuation of the current National Fish and Wildlife Fund-Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund (NFWF-GEBF) project in which volunteers grow sub-adult oysters from spat on shell stock in gardens that hang from waterfront piers/wharves and docks in Mississippi coastal waters. Project objectives include the production of approximately 1,000 sub-adult oysters per site per year. Estimates indicate that approximately 210,000 sub-adult oysters could be produced over the five-year life of the project, enough for a density of 20 oysters per square meter across approximately 3 acres of oyster reef.

Budget - $500,000. Timeline - MDEQ began construction with project partners in 2021.

MISSISSIPPI HANCOCK COUNTY MARSH LIVING SHORELINE PROJECT (2017) 

This project will employ living shoreline techniques including natural and artificial breakwater material and marsh creation to reduce shoreline erosion by dampening wave energy while encouraging reestablishment of habitat that was once present in the region. The project will provide for construction of up to 5.9 miles of living breakwater, approximately 46 acres of marsh creation, and approximately 46 acres of subtidal reef restoration in Heron Bay to increase secondary productivity in the area. The project will reduce shoreline erosion, create habitat for secondary productivity, and protect and create salt marsh habitat.

Approximately 46 acres of cultch was deployed in Heron Bay to support and enhance benthic secondary productivity in the vicinity of the Hancock County Marsh Coastal Preserve. Historically, there were extensive, prolific reefs of the American oyster (Crassostrea virginica) in the shore zone and nearshore areas of lower Hancock County that provided natural protection from shoreline erosion and benthic habitat. The project created habitat for oysters and other secondary productivity.

Budget - $47,172,620.00. Timeline - Construction of the subtidal reef began in August 2016 and was completed in January 2017. In 2017, a contract was issued for performance monitoring of the subtidal reef and the Year 1 data collection began. In 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, the Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, and Year 5 data collection occurred, respectively. Monitoring results are reported in the corresponding Annual Monitoring Reports.

MISSISSIPPI OYSTER CULTCH RESTORATION PROJECT (2014) 

The goal of this project was to restore and enhance oyster cultch areas in the marine waters of Mississippi in Hancock and Harrison Counties. This project restored and enhanced approximately 1,430 acres of the oyster cultch areas within Mississippi. Cultch material (oyster shell, limestone or some combination thereof) was deployed at a rate of 100 cubic yards per acre with adjustments for site conditions as needed.

Budget -$9,920,952.89. Timeline - Cultch deployment was completed in 2014. Biological monitoring of oyster metrics (size and density) collected by dredge tow and quadrat methodology began in 2014 and continued through 2020. Secondary productivity monitoring using tray and basket methodology began in 2014 and continued through 2018; metrics included biomass, productivity, density, and species diversity and composition. Sidescan surveys were conducted in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016. 

MISSISSIPPI ARTIFICIAL REEF HABITAT PROJECT (2013) 

The Mississippi Artificial Reef Habitat project deployed 29,000 cubic yards of cultch material (limestone) on 47 nearshore artificial reefs in the marine waters of Mississippi. This project provided valuable habitat for small crustaceans and mollusks, including juvenile shrimp, crab and oysters by restoring nearshore artificial reefs.

Budget- $2,053,176.04. Timeline - Cultch deployment was completed in 2013. Annual monitoring, using basket and tray methodology, was conducted in 2014 and 2015 to measure the secondary productivity benefits associated with the artificial reef project. Metrics include epifauna and infauna biomass, secondary productivity, density, and species diversity and composition. Monitoring is complete and the final report is complete.

A final close-out report has been completed and is available under the Documents Section.

GOVERNOR'S OYSTER RESTORATION & RESILIENCY COUNCIL 
Gov. Phil Bryant signed an executive order creating the Oyster Restoration and Resiliency Council on Feb. 2, 2015.
Read more at http://www.dmr.state.ms.us/index.php/dmr-information/oyster-council#sthash.zeytQO94.dpuf

RESTORING MISSISSIPPI OYSTER INDUSTRY PRESENTATION

Presented during the Second Meeting of the Oysters in the Economy Committee of the Governor’s Oyster Restoration and Resiliency Council. Lakeshore, Mississippi.

HISTORICAL VIEW OF THE MISSISSIPPI OYSTER HARVESTING SECTOR

In this section, Dr. Posadas compares the nominal dockside prices and commercial landings of oysters harvested in the U.S. by major species. The major oyster species harvested in the U.S. include Eastern oysters and Pacific oysters. In addition, the nominal farmgate prices and production of oyster farms are also compiled. The total supply and apparent per capita consumption of oysters are also estimated. The overall trends in prices, harvests, and consumption are measured over time. 

ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF THE MISSISSIPPI OYSTER INDUSTRY

This section shows the annual economic impacts of the Mississippi oyster industry imputed from estimates prepared by NOAA Fisheries of the entire seafood industry in the state.

MARKETING MISSISSIPPI OYSTERS

PROMOTE YOUR OYSTER BUSINESS IN MISSISSIPPI MARKETMAKER

MarketMaker is an internet tool linking growers and producers with grocery stores, food processors, specialty outlets and food industry groups.

ALTERNATIVE OYSTER POSTHARVEST PROCESSING SYSTEMS

A collaborative research and outreach program on oyster postharvest processing was jointly undertaken by the Mississippi State University-Coastal Research and Extension Center and the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources-Seafood Technology Bureau.

RESTORING MISSISSIPPI OYSTER REEFS

U.S. OYSTER AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY 

Inthis section, Dr. Posadas shows the overall trends in farm production of oysters, farmgate values, and imputed farmgate prices over time. Oyster farm production, farmgate values, and farmgate prices in specific states are compiled as they become publicly available. The investment requirements and potential productive capacity of specific oyster aquaculture production systems are collected from existing literature. Results of economic simulations on the financial feasibility of specific oyster aquaculture production systems are presented.

MISSISSIPPI OYSTER AQUACULTURE PRODUCTION

This section shows the data on annual production of oysters from Mississippi private oyster leases.

PUBLIC AND PRIVATE OYSTER RELAYING

This MSU Extension Service publication describes the enterprise budgets for public and private oyster relaying in Mississippi in the early 1990s.

REVITALIZING A NORTHERN GULF COAST OYSTER FISHERY

This report describes the results of a project conducted to determine the costs and benefits from relaying oysters to Bangs Lake in Jackson County, Mississippi.

PASS CHRISTIAN OYSTER REEF DEVELOPMENT

This 1984 Sea Grant Advisory Service report will examine the potential for oyster reef development by the City of Pass Christian, Mississippi and the attendant economic and employment impacts such an undertaking would generate.  Text     ​Tables and Charts

DAMAGES TO MISSISSIPPI OYSTER REEFS

ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF THE OPENING OF THE BONNET CARRE SPILLWAY TO MISSISSIPPI OYSTER FISHERIES

This section describes the economic impacts of the prolonged exposure of the Mississippi oyster growing areas to freshwater intrusion due to the opening of the Bonnet Carré Spillway during the Mississippi River flooding event of 2011.

ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF THE DEEPWATER HORIZON OIL SPILL TO THE MISSISSIPPI OYSTER HARVESTING SECTOR

In order to understand the magnitude of the potential economic impacts of the oil spill to Commercial Oystering, multi-year baseline economic information about the sector in all the five Gulf of Mexico states are currently being compiled from various secondary sources.

LICENSE AND SIZE PROFILES OF MISSISSIPPI SEAFOOD AND COMMERCIAL AND RECREATIONAL FISHING SECTORS

The overall goal of these profiles is to describe the number of seafood firms and commercial and recreational fishing establishments licensed to operate in Mississippi in 2009–10.

ESTIMATION OF BASELINE FOR ASSESSMENT OF ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF THE GULF OF MEXICO OIL SPILL ON MISSISSIPPI COMMERCIAL FISHING SECTOR

The overall goal of this publication was to measure the direct economic impacts of the oil spill on the commercial fishing sector in Mississippi.

ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF HURRICANE KATRINA

This section summarizes the assessment of the impacts of this natural catastrophic event on the state commercial and recreational fisheries and charter boat industries.