Workshop to explore potential for aquaculture in inland bays

“Despite decades of decline, oysters do have a new future in Delaware. With science and good management, oyster production can be, and should be, encouraged and nurtured to resume its place as an important food crop, much the same as peaches, lima beans and chickens are now identified with our state.”

Those are the words of Delaware Secretary of Agriculture Ed Kee, who will be the keynote speaker at the “Aquaculture in the Inland Bays” workshop at the Virden Center in Lewes on June 18, sponsored by the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays.

Registration for the one-day workshop will be open until June 3. Interested participants can register and pay on-line at www.inlandbays.org or visit the site to download a copy of the event brochure to complete and return by mail. There is a $15 fee for the event, which includes continental breakfast, breaks and a luncheon. Space is limited, so early-registration is being strongly encouraged.

CIB Executive Director Ed Lewandowski said, “We organized this workshop in response to stakeholder inquiries and interest in the potential for commercial aquaculture in Delaware’s Inland Bays. I think this gathering will be the first-step in exploring the feasibility of shellfish aquaculture operations in the Inland Bays and engaging local stakeholders in an intelligent and meaningful conversation about whether aquaculture in the Bays is a reasonable expectation.”

In his keynote address, Kee will speak about the potential food production from a practical aquaculture industry in the First State. He said, “Delaware waters are a native habitat for oysters; humans living in the region have enjoyed Delaware oysters for thousands of years.” The Delaware Department of Agriculture has authority for regulating aquaculture activities in Delaware.

Other speakers will include technical experts, resource managers and numerous policy- and decision-makers from around the East Coast. Technical support for the workshop is provided by John Ewart, aquaculture and fisheries specialist with the University of Delaware’s Marine Advisory Service. Event sponsors include the University of Delaware Sustainable Coastal Communities Initiative and the Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control.

According to the CIB, a healthy oyster population can provide tremendous ecological benefits in an estuary, such as water quality improvements and restoration of bottom habitats. Over the past several years, the CIB, in collaboration with the University of Delaware’s Marine Advisory Service, has successfully demonstrated the viability of growing shellfish in the Inland Bays using a variety of aquaculture techniques and methods.

These include the off-bottom culture of oysters using Taylor floats and other commercial aquaculture gear. The Center’s Oyster Gardening Program now has more than 200 volunteers at 130 gardening sites in all three of the coastal bays.

Captain Bill Baker from Bill’s Sport Shop in Lewes is a longstanding member of the Inland Bays Water Use Plan Implementation Committee, a committee that serves as an ad-hoc advisory body to the Board of Directors of the Center for the Inland Bays on minimizing environmental impacts, avoiding user conflicts, and improving conditions related to water use activities in Delaware’s Inland Bays.

“Captain Bill” said he has been surprised by local reaction to the concept of commercial aquaculture in the Inland Bays.

“I’ve had numerous discussions with customers regarding this issue and a majority of them have expressed their support for aquaculture. Most think that the benefits from restored habitat and improved water quality far outweigh any of the concerns they might have,” said Baker.

The Center for the Inland Bays is one of 28 National Estuary Programs dedicated to the restoration and protection of estuaries of national significance. As a National Estuary Program, the Center for the Inland Bays is charged with providing a neutral forum where issues affecting water quality in the Inland Bays can be discussed and where all interested stakeholders can participate in the management of this valuable public resource.

The CIB is a nonprofit organization, enabled by the Delaware General Assembly in 1994 to promote the wise use and enhancement of Delaware’s Inland Bays and their watersheds.

For more information, visit the CIB’s Web site at www.inlandbays.org or contact E.J. Chalabala, restoration coordinator at the CIB, at (302) 226-8105.