Extended drought conditions in Texas and Florida watersheds, increasing salt water intrusion into key oyster producing estuaries, cumulative damage from recent hurricanes and floods as well as the consequences of the Deepwater Horizon spill on marine resources have combined to create a unique opportunity to rethink how Gulf of Mexico oyster habitat is created and restored.
The Gulf Oyster Hatchery Initiative has proposed the use of hatchery produced oyster seed to restore Gulf of Mexico oyster reefs, as well as create new habitat resulting in a clean Gulf. The proposed mega-hatchery is a joint effort of the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, the Gulf Oyster Industry Council and the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission, and has received the support of the Gulf Seafood Institute.
For more than three decades oyster mega-hatchery technology has been used worldwide, increasing production andstabilizing both the U.S. East and West Coast regional oyster industries, keeping them from complete collapse.
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