Image

Pass the Oysters

September 27, 2014

Woods Hole Sea Grant/Cape Cod Cooperative Extension Agents Joshua Reitsma and Abigail Archer help distribute bags of shell that contain oyster seed, also known as spat, to towns for municipal shellfish propagation programs. Woods Hole Sea Grant, housed at WHOI, supports aquaculture programs around the Cape, and works with Barnstable County and Cape Cod towns to purchase shellfish seed anually from hatcheries. Town shellfish programs grow the oysters to a larger size and them place them in recreational and commercial shellfishing areas in shallow waters around the Cape. There, the oysters grow to harvestable size, providing recreation and financial benefit to the towns. (Photo courtesy of Abigail Archer, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)