 |
|||
          |
If you feel inspired to help replenish the oyster reefs in your own "back yard" and want to become a volunteer, call the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program at (251)431-6409. Currently, oyster gardening must take place in open waters for shellfish harvesting. Read below to see if your area qualifies. Volunteers must commit to removing predators, such as blue crabs, from the oyster cages once a week. Volunteers must maintain the oysters and cages as needed throughout the summer and call the project coordinator for assistance. Average time is 20 minutes per week. Most of the time will be spent washing the cages and oysters with a high pressure nozzle from a garden hose. Volunteers have the option to measure 50 of their oysters in the first week of every month. Each volunteer receives an oyster gardening manual containing information on oyster biology, hatchery techniques, regulations, care and maintenance, etc., that will be given out at a workshop in the spring. What are Closed Waters for Shellfish Harvesting? These are areas that do
not meet their designated use by the Alabama Department of Environmental
Management or the State Public Health Department due to poor water quality
standards. The oysters (and clams!) in these areas are not safe to eat
because they may have unsafe levels of bacteria or pollutants in their
tissues. The good news is
they continue to live in these areas and help to clean the water.
Currently, the Mobile Bay Oyster Gardening Program does not allow
gardening to take place in closed waters (or any other water
classification besides open waters) for shellfish harvesting. Download the map of Classification of Oyster Growing Areas to view if your area qualifies for oyster gardening. If you are unable to download the pdf file, please download Adobe Acrobat's PDF Reader (it's free!) |
||
 |
|||
|
This site best view at
800X600 with Netscape 6.0 or Explorer 5.5 or higher |
|||
