SOWING SHELLFISH 



A Boom in Backyard Shellfish Farming 



By C.R.Edgerton 



When it comes to shellfish, everyone 

 wants to get into the act. 



Clam and oyster culture claim more 

 adherents than any other type of aquacul- 

 ture in the Tar Heel state. 



"There's more demand for clams and 

 oysters," says Tom Ellis, director of 

 aquaculture and natural resources for the 

 N.C. Department of Agriculture. "That 

 makes shellfish aquaculture a more viable 

 enterprise than ever before." 



About 300 people hold shellfish 

 culture leases in North Carolina's public 

 waters, Ellis says. "That's more than all the 

 other forms of aquaculture combined, 

 including trout, catfish and hybrid striped 

 bass." 



Clams, oysters, even scallops are being 

 raised in mostly small operations up and 

 down the Tar Heel coast. 



Yet, shellfish culture is still in its 

 infancy, at least technologically. 



"We're still in the gatherer stage with 

 shellfish," Ellis says. 



And there are other problems. Fish are 

 raised primarily on private land, but 

 shellfish must be cultured in public waters. 



"The shellfish producer must prove 

 that what he's doing is benefiting the 



public," Ellis says. 

 "That's why there's 

 a requirement for a 

 certain amount of 

 production on each 

 lease." 



Then there are 

 poachers. Thieves. 

 Ruthless people 

 who prey on a 

 shellfish lease 

 when no one's 

 looking. 



"The law has 

 been changed in 

 recent years to 

 protect shellfish 

 aquaculture as a 

 commercial 

 enterprise and the 

 penalties for poaching are high," Ellis says. 

 "But that still doesn't stop the thief." 



And if that's not enough, environmen- 

 tal factors like pollution and disease can 

 often ravage a shellfish operation. Most 

 dreaded among oyster farmers are MSX 

 and dermo. two killer diseases. 



"It's hard to work an oyster bed, 

 invest in all that time and money only to 

 have it all destroyed by diseases," Ellis 

 says. 



When one considers the time it takes 

 to get a shellfish lease (on the average 

 about six to eight months), the monetary 

 and time investment and the chance for 

 poachers and disease, shellfish aquaculture 

 doesn't sound like a viable enterprise. 



"I wouldn't go that far," Ellis says. 

 "Like I said, there's more demand than 

 ever for clams and oysters. And, when you 

 consider that the average price for a 

 bushel of clams is about $55, it looks a 

 little more attractive." 



And sometimes it works on a large 

 scale. 



Doug Brady, owner of Otis' Fish 

 Market in Morehead City owns the state's 

 largest shellfish production operation. His 

 lease includes 10 acres of shellfish bottom. 



He is the only shellfish culturist to 



have taken advantage of a new law that 

 allows leasing not only the bottom but the 

 water column too. 



Hundreds of thousands of clams and 

 oysters are reaching market size on the 

 Brady lease at Harker's Island. 



But there's a cost factor involved in 

 leasing the water column that most small- 

 timers can't afford. 



In addition to the $5 per acre fee for 

 leasing the bottom, Brady pays another 

 $500 per acre for the right to use the water 

 column. 



For that money, he's allowed to grow 

 oysters off the bottom in bags suspended in 

 the water. He also has permission to fence 

 in his lease, effectively protecting the site 

 from poachers and recreational water users. 



"It's expensive to do it that way," says 

 Sea Grant marine advisory agent Skip 

 Kemp. "But if you're a big time operator, 

 you can do it." 



Kemp says Brady's operation is the 

 exception in the shellfish business. "I don't 

 think there's going to be any spurt of large 

 operations coming in," he says. "In fact, 

 we're encouraging small-time operations." 



Meanwhile, Kemp and others involved 

 in shellfish culture are trying to persuade 

 lawmakers to change legislation in favor of 

 shellfish leaseholders, especially oyster 

 growers. 



"The law needs to change in how- 

 oyster culture methodology is defined," 

 Kemp says. "Oysters grow better when 

 they're kept off the bottom and grown in 

 modular containers. Now, the law doesn't 

 allow that unless a water column lease is 

 obtained. And that can be expensive." 



One state that has responded to the 

 particular needs of oyster growers is 

 Florida, where culturists are allowed to use 

 up to 12 inches of the water column with- 

 out acquiring an expensive lease. 



A free water-column permit is 

 available to Tar Heel shellfish growers only 

 if the use of the water column is experi- 

 mental and in small amounts. The permit 

 does not allow commercial-sized ventures. % 



COASTWATCH 13 



