The U.S. Government is closed. This site will not be updated; however NOAA websites and social media channels necessary to protect lives and property will be maintained. To learn more, visit www.commerce.gov. For the latest forecast and critical weather information, visit www.weather.gov. 

The U.S. government is closed. This site will not be updated; however, NOAA websites and social media channels necessary to protect lives and property will be maintained. To learn more, visit commerce.gov. 

For the latest forecasts and critical weather information, visit weather.gov.

National Estuaries Week Highlight: Oyster Farming Improves Estuary Health

4 people in knee-deep water: 1 leans over to view an object that another pulls from the water; 1 holds a bucket;1 writes on a clipboard.
Oyster farmer Al Smeilus provides information on oyster planting to researcher Dr. Beth Darrow and students Jessica Kinsella and Jessica Carlton on his farm in Masonboro Island NERR North Carolina. Photo: Madison Lytle.

Oyster farming = healthy estuary. We worked with partners in North Carolina’s Masonboro Island Reserve to assess ecosystem services of oyster aquaculture and found that one acre of oysters removes 50-230 kg of nitrogen! 

https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/project/shellfish-aquaculture-in-the-nerrs-ecosystem-services/