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The Next Step in Oyster Restoration for the Lynnhaven River
Lynnhaven River NOW
1608 Pleasure House Road, Suite 108 757-962-5398
Our vision is a clean and healthy Lynnhaven River
1. Identify and reduce sources of pollution in the river.
2. Educate and engage the community and partner organizations in the restoration of the Lynnhaven.
3. Restore vital habitat, riparian buffers, wetlands and oyster reefs.
From the beginning, oyster restoration was a major area of focus for LRNow
• Oyster are the keystone species
• They are a natural filtering system
• They create habitat
• They remove nitrogen, phosphorus and sediments from the water
Where We Were in 2002
• Only 1% of the river open to shellfishing • 5 acres of sanctuary oyster reef • Historic oyster reef was dead, destroyed or
covered in sediment. • No commercial oyster industry in the
Lynnhaven. • Oyster population at 1% of historic levels
Where We Are Today
• 30% of the River open – until recently 42% • We have 63 acres of sanctuary oyster reef. • There are six active and growing commercial
oyster businesses in the Lynnhaven. • We are at 18-20% of our historic oyster
population.
What are we doing to restore our oysters?
Oyster Gardening with Students and Citizens
Collecting and Recycling Oyster Shell
Deploying Spat Catchers
Building Sanctuary Oyster Reef
Building Oyster Castle Reefs
What is the Next Step?
• More Oysters • Brood Stock • Capacity to do Spat on Shell • More local supply of sustainably harvested
oysters
What is the Lynnhaven Aquaculture Center?
Lynnhaven Aquaculture Center – Location Map
Lynnhaven Aquaculture Center
What is Spat on Shell?
Lynnhaven Aquaculture Center
Lynnhaven Aquaculture Center
• Constructed and Owned by the City of Virginia Beach.
• Operated by Lynnhaven River NOW. • Active only five months of the year. • Quiet and odor free • Beautifully landscaped • Greatly improve the area under the Great Neck
Road Bridge • Open Spring 2014
Questions?
