Since 2020, the program has deployed more than 3.5 million farmed oysters to rebuild 40 acres of oyster reef across 25 restoration sites while supporting 125 shellfish companies and preserving more than 450 critical jobs. The program purchases oysters from farms and redirects them to restoration projects, providing an additional income stream for growers and aiding in reef recovery. In the midst of this crisis, the Purchase Program was created as a way to protect oyster reefs while also helping shellfish farmers. But when COVID-19 and the resulting restaurant closures led to a dramatic decrease in demand for farmed shellfish, oyster farmers across the country struggled to market their products, putting more than 3,000 jobs in the oyster aquaculture industry at risk. Oyster aquaculture in the United States supports jobs in coastal communities, provides a sustainable source of seafood and can help improve ocean health by creating wildlife habitat and filtering water. To learn more about the initiative, please visit the Shellfish Growers Resiliency Fund page.

shellfish industry that benefits the ocean and the communities that rely upon it. The Fund extends grants to shellfish growers and aligned organizations to further collaborative marine conservation efforts and foster economic opportunities for shellfish farming in the United States. In early 2021, in partnership with Pew, NOAA, state management agencies and shellfish growers’ associations, the initiative also established a Shellfish Growers Resiliency Fund (the Fund), which aims to pave the way for a more resilient and sustainable U.S. The Purchase Program purchases farmed oysters and uses them in nearby oyster restoration projects, providing an additional income stream for growers and aiding in reef recovery. of Agriculture, SOAR is taking a two-pronged approach to help both farmed and wild oysters thrive:

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Through the Supporting Oyster Aquaculture and Restoration (SOAR) program, The Nature Conservancy is working with its partners to support a resilient oyster industry and leverage aquaculture in reef restoration-a win-win for these environmentally friendly businesses and for our coastal ecosystems.Ĭreated in collaboration with Pew Charitable Trusts, the U.S. When that market faces disruptions-as it did during the widespread restaurant closures early on in the pandemic-the shellfish industry is vulnerable to shocks, which can in turn jeopardize jobs and local economies. The vast majority of oysters are eaten at restaurants, meaning that growers’ livelihoods are largely dependent on a single market. But even in the absence of natural stressors, there’s economic uncertainty to contend with. Many of the same environmental factors that have depleted wild oyster populations are threatening farmed oysters as well.

However, oyster farmers are facing their own challenges. In addition to standing for their wild counterparts on diners’ plates, farmed oysters are acting as a substitute in the ocean, too: across the country, oysters are being transferred from farms to reefs, aiding in their recovery. For one, they are helping meet consumer demand for shellfish, easing pressure on wild harvests. As researchers, conservationists and communities work to protect this essential and endangered habitat, farmed oysters are playing an important role.

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