NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — April 5, 2013 — Virginia will begin its largest-ever oyster replenishment initiative in May.
The initiative will use $2 million in state funds to provide habitat on public oyster grounds in the James, York and Rappahannock rivers and elsewhere in the Chesapeake Bay, including Pocomoke and Tangier sounds.
The Virginia Marine Resources Commission said Thursday that the summer-long replenishment program will involve shucking houses providing shells to Omega Protein, which operates a menhaden fleet out of Reedville.
The shells will be stored at Omega’s plant and then spread on state-owned public oyster grounds to provide habitat so naturally occurring oyster larvae can attach to the shells.
They’ll reach market size in approximately three years.
An anticipated 1 million bushels of shells will be spread on the grounds. That equals 1 billion shells or enough to fill about 4,000 dump trucks.
Read the full story at the Richmond Times-Dispatch