North Carolina ’s shellfish aquaculture industry remained small but stable for many decades, but has experienced significant growth over the past few years. With a popular wild oyster fishery and growing interest in creating new oyster farms, natural resource managers need additional science to help them weigh risks and benefits and decide where and when to permit new oyster aquaculture leases.

About this resource

This project overview describes how a 2016 collaborative research project assessed the ecosystem services of shellfish farming by measuring impacts of newly established farms in the North Carolina Research Reserve. The overview outlines the project approach, products and benefits.