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Sea Grant and the Connecticut Department of Agriculture Work to Support the Shellfish Industry
In partnership with: Connecticut Department of Agriculture
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have rippled across the state, but Connecticut’s aquaculture industry – especially shellfish – was hit particularly hard.
“At one time, we were at the center of the world’s oyster industry, and we’ve benefited by having the largest natural oyster beds on the East Coast,” Tessa Getchis of Connecticut Sea Grant says. “We were coming into a time when sales are typically strong when the pandemic started. When mitigation measures were put in place to prevent the spread of the virus, the markets dried up immediately. Inventory for a few weeks isn’t a big deal, but when you have a lot of inventory and can’t sell it, it grows very quickly.”
See more: How the Thimble Islands Initiative Expands Sustainable Aquaculture in Connecticut
Getchis says that Connecticut’s oysters are famously eaten on the half shell and sold exclusively in restaurants. When restaurants and bars in the area began closing, growers were left in the dark, with product either being destroyed or put back in the ocean.
Sylvain De Guise, director of Sea Grant, adds that as a whole, the shellfish industry typically contributes close to $30 million per year to Connecticut’s economy and provides many jobs.
“When the restaurants closed, revenue for the shellfish market went down on average by 93%,” De Guise says. “We quickly recirculated guidelines (that were developed by the Connecticut Department of Agriculture) throughout the industry so growers knew what they needed to do to sell directly to consumers.”
To help the growers, Sea Grant, which is a national network of 34 universities that encourage wise stewardship of marine resources, and the Connecticut Department of Agriculture formed a three-phase plan to provide economic relief.
The plan centered on cleaning up some of the natural shellfish beds maintained by the state so that more oyster seed could be spawned. The beds had been silted over and needed to be cleaned so oysters could grow.
“We secured grant money that allowed us to hire growers and pay them to help clean the beds,” De Guise says. “We also used that money to buy back oysters from growers that they couldn’t sell direct to consumers and transplanted them to be used as seed.”
See more: Connecticut’s Agricultural Industry Thrives
De Guise explains that during the three phases, they enrolled 33 of the 51 businesses in the Connecticut aquaculture industry, so two-thirds of growers received help.
“This was a one-time program, but we were able to help people when they were most in need, and we can learn from that for the future,” De Guise says.
Both De Guise and Getchis agree that growers have been very creative despite the challenges, changing their business models and looking to more value-added opportunities for their products. However, for long-term success and to get the industry back to where it should be, more government funding is needed.
“I think the industry is really resilient and will eventually bounce back,” Getchis says. “We need something to bridge us through this tough time. With a great push for funding, we’ll be back up and running.”
Learn More
Learn how to shuck oysters at coppsislandoysters.com/ shucking-101.