Virginia Oyster Gardening Guide

Short Description
Maintaining an oyster garden is a little like caring for. a vegetable garden, although many find … vegetable gardening, it’s a good idea to stay on top of …

Website: www.deq.virginia.gov | Filesize: 180kb

Content
How to Start and Maintain an Oyster Garden
Step Six: Set Up and Maintain the Garden
Set Up
Most people find setting up and maintaining an
oyster garden quite easy and enjoyable. By setting up
your oysters in containment systems suspended above
the bottom, both the quantity and quality of the food
available to the oyster is improved and you’ve generally
made life easier for them.
There are no strict guidelines regarding the best
position in the water column to place the oysters. Often
raising the oysters as little as 6 inches above the bottom
is enough to reduce the amount of suspended sediments
which they must filter and this improves their growth rates.
Most people find it convenient to tie their containment
systems to their dock as in the photos on pages 8 and
9. Keep in mind performance is very site specific and
depends on water depth and food availability.
Placement of oysters in racks or bags in the
intertidal zone can have advantages which include easy
access to your oysters at low tide, fouling control, and
predator protection. However, extended exposure out of
the water reduces the feeding time available for oysters
and reduces growth rates. If…