Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) once flourished in Connecticut's inlets and tidal rivers. This delicious shellfish has had a significant cultural and economic role in Connecticut. Oysters were harvested by early settlers in the region. Since the late 1800s, oystermen have harvested juvenile oysters from the inlets and rivers, and cultured them in large beds in Long Island Sound itself.

Oysters also have played an important ecological role in Connecticut's coastal waters. Oyster beds are built up and full of interstitial spaces between the shells, providing habitat not only for oysters, but a variety of aquatic species. And just by feeding, oysters improve the clarity of the water they live in by filtering sediment and nutrients from the water column. Large quantities of water can be cleaned by these organisms, with each adult oyster filtering 50 gallons of water per day.

Oyster populations in Connecticut are currently a small fraction of what they once were. Overfishing and destructive fishing techniques have directly caused population declines. Increased coastal development has brought more contaminated runoff to coastal waters and has caused habitat loss. These conditions have left Connecticut's oysters vulnerable to disease. In 1996, the state of Connecticut was on target to surpass Louisiana and become the largest oyster-producing state in the country. By 1997, however, disease had spread through Connecticut's oyster beds and wiped out large populations across the Long Island Sound.

Many communities are considering local restoration projects to bring oysters back to Connecticut's coastal waters. They can help oysters reestablish themselves by setting up harvest-free sanctuaries and improving oyster habitat. To counter the effects of overfishing, a network of small sanctuary beds can be created where oyster harvesting is banned. Within a sanctuary, oysters are able to establish self-sustaining populations. Juvenile oysters produced within the sanctuary are carried by the tides and settle over beds in and around the sanctuary, helping to enhance local populations. These young oysters (spat) need to settle onto a hard substrate - and oyster shells are an ideal surface for them to attach to. To improve oyster habitat, natural oyster shells, or cultch, can be laid down to mimic natural beds. Settlement on beds can be allowed to occur naturally, with spat coming from nearby populations, or spat can be introduced to the beds.

Community restoration efforts not only work towards recovering oyster populations, but also can get residents, schoolchildren, teachers, local businesses, commercial and recreational fishing groups, and others involved in learning about and improving a local environmental resource. This involvement not only gives participants a stake in the project, but it also helps to create public awareness of the fragile ecosystem in which oysters live.

For this project, I compiled materials to aid Connecticut communities with local oyster restoration projects. To encourage these community efforts, I designed and printed an informational brochure to distribute to shellfish commissions in the coastal towns in Connecticut. I also developed a draft manual for towns to use when taking on shellfish restoration projects.

I received guidance and technical assistance from Judy Preston (who was the director of The Nature Conservancy's Connecticut Coastal and Marine Program at the time, but is currently with the Connecticut River Estuary Regional Planning Agency) and Tessa Getchis (Connecticut Sea Grant). Tessa and her staff are continuing to develop the shellfish manual, including lessons they have learned from on-going restoration projects.