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Do you have an innovative idea regarding commercial fishing? Turn your idea into research through the Fishery Resource Grant program, or the Blue Crab and Shellfish Research program.

Coastwatch

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Volunteer Network Monitors Oysters

An ongoing project to monitor oyster larval settlement relies on a network of volunteers to collect data all along the North Carolina coast. Tapping into volunteer efforts is a potential way for partners on this state-funded project to efficiently get broad information on the timing and variation of larval settlement — key factors for improving oyster restoration efforts.

While previous attempts to gather this type of data have provided some useful information, changes in habitat, fishing effort, and water quality all have the ability to affect spat recruitment from year to year.

"This project offers on-going monitoring while engaging local citizens to assist in the overall goal of oyster restoration," says Marc Turano, mariculture and blue crab specialist with North Carolina Sea Grant and participant on the project.

Turano partners with Troy Alphin, Martin Posey and Jay Styron of the University of North Carolina Wilmington on this project funded by the N.C. Fishery Resource Grant Program (FRG).

Volunteers are given "spat racks" — structures built with PVC pipe, ceramic tiles, cable ties and drain hose — which they position in the mid-intertidal area to mimic local oyster reefs. Based on instructions from project coordinators, they rotate and check the spat rack tiles for organism growth throughout the year.

The volunteers are trained to recognize a variety of local animal groups that may be attached to the tiles, including live and dead oyster spat, barnacles, worms and snail egg casings. They also record data on salinity, water temperatures and weather conditions at the time of observations.

Currently there are 86 volunteers — including 31 adults and 55 K-12 students — monitoring 28 active sites. An additional 16 inactive sites were previously sampled, for a total of 44 sites now with data for the project.

A new Web site highlights the project, provides information for volunteers and summarizes regional data. To learn more, visit the site at www.ncoystermonitoring.org.

If the methods used in this project prove to be effective, partners hope it can be transferred to outside agencies for continued long-term operation.

The FRG program is administered by North Carolina Sea Grant and funded by the N.C. General Assembly. For more information on FRG, visit www.ncseagrant.org and click on "Research."