Oyster Fishermen Donate $50K To Del. Bay Project

COMMERCIAL, N.J. — Local oyster fishermen are taking on the challenge of growing the oyster population in the Delaware Bay.

And they hope to partner with other organizations in their endeavor.

Representatives from New Jersey's oyster industry announced an investment of $50,000 in the Delaware Bay Oyster Restoration Project during a regular meeting of the Delaware Bay Section of the New Jersey Shell Fisheries Council at the Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory on Miller Avenue in Port Norris on Tuesday.

The local oyster industry, which has a long tradition in Cumberland County communities along the Delaware Bay, saw the shellfish's population reach its lowest numbers in 50 years earlier last decade due to a variety of factors, including disease and the climate. But a project by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rutgers University, the state Department of Environmental Protection and local fishermen has increased the population by putting clean shells in the bay, which allows a habitat for the oysters to grow and prosper.

To read the rest of the story, please go to: The Vineland Daily Journal (New Jersey).