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Virginia oyster reef

Shellfish Aquaculture | Virginia

RCPP

NRCS is offering dedicated funding and resources through a RCPP project with the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) and Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) to help growers improve the water quality and habitat shellfish need to thrive in the Chesapeake Bay.

The successful growth and harvesting of shellfish contributes to and depends on good water quality. The Virginia Aquaculture Program is designed to enhance not only the sustainability of aquaculture but also to reduce adverse impacts on water quality for shellfish producers.

NRCS is continuing its longstanding aquaculture partnership with the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) and Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). Funding is available through a multi-year RCPP project to help oyster growers improve water quality and increase oyster habitat in the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries.

Oyster Bed Restoration will be implemented using the Virginia Conservation Practice Standard for Restoration and Management of Rare or Declining Habitats (Code 643).  The practice lifespan is 15 years, operator investment and Virginia requirements to work the lease are expected to result in long-term maintenance of the oyster beds.

RCPP applicants for this oyster bed restoration program will need to complete the Virginia Marine Resources Commission technical checklist form. (See additional documents below).

General practice requirements for restoring beds are:

  • Bottom preparation - Placing a minimum of 3 inches of natural substrate: oyster, conch or clam shell cultch (approximately 3,000 - 5,000 bushels/acre – depending on site) or VMRC-approved and *permitted alternative substrate: clean stone (500 tons / acre) on approved bottom;
  • Place approximately 1,000 bushels of spat on shell as produced in methods described in the Manual for Remote Setting (http://www.mrc.virginia.gov/replenishment.shtm); and,
  • Establish a living community of oysters on the bed.

General practice requirements for enhancing beds are (allows restoration of a larger footprint with the same amount of shell and spat on shell overlay):

  • Bottom preparation - Establish a minimum of 2 inches of natural substrate: oyster, conch or clam shell cultch (approximately 1,000 - 3,000 bushels/acre – depending on site) or VMRC-approved and *permitted alternative substrate: clean stone (333 tons / acre) on approved bottom.
  • Place approximately 1,000 bushels of spat on shell as produced in methods described in the Manual for Remote Setting (http://www.mrc.virginia.gov/replenishment.shtm);and,
  • Establish a living community of oysters on the bed.

General practice requirements for restoring beds in areas of high recruitment are:

• Bottom preparation - Placing a minimum of 3 inches of natural substrate: oyster, conch, or clam shell cultch (approximately 3,000 - 5,000 bushels/acre – depending on site) or VMRC-approved and *permitted alternative substrate: clean stone (approximately 500 tons /acre) on approved bottom.

            A living community of oysters will be established by natural recruitment on the bed.

General practice requirements for enhancing beds in areas of high recruitment are (allows restoration of a larger footprint):

• Bottom preparation - Establish a minimum of 2 inches of natural substrate: oyster, conch or clam shell cultch (approximately 1,000 - 3,000 bushels/acre – depending on site) or VMRC-approved and *permitted alternative substrate: clean stone (approximately 333 tons /acre) on approved bottom

A living community of oysters will be established by natural recruitment on the bed.

Spat Requirements

Spat on cultch must be set on whole or half oyster shells.  Spat set on small shell fragments is not eligible.

Participants must use hatchery-produced larvae for seeding oyster beds; either diploid or triploid, wild or disease resistant oysters.  Diploid oysters may promote natural reproduction (triploids cannot reproduce) and oyster spat recruitment.

Alternative Substrate Requirements – type and timing

Alternative substrates used for bottom planting include clean stone of the appropriate size to enable subsequent harvest (#57 stone chips or no larger than VDOT #3).  The timing of planting if being used in high recruitment areas (with no spat on shell overlay) is limited to the months of May, June and July to have the best success of attracting natural oyster settlement. 

 

*Alternative Substrate Permitting Requirements

The use of alternative substrates for bottom planting requires an environmental permit issued by the Habitat Management Division of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC).  The permit process relies on a single Virginia joint local/state/federal permit application, called the Joint Permit Application. The review process, for which this application was originally designed, considers various local state and federal statutes governing the disturbance or alteration of environmental resources. The Marine Resources Commission plays a central role as an information clearinghouse for all three levels of review. Applications receive independent yet concurrent review by local wetland boards, the Marine Resources Commission, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. A non-refundable processing fee of $100 is required for each application. The technical checklist requires a Joint Permit for the planting of alternative substrates under the VMRC RCPP Aquaculture Program.

 

High Recruitment Area Requirements 

Areas of high natural oyster recruitment are eligible for bottom restoration without the addition of spat on shell production. These areas include: the Piankatank River, the Great Wicomico River and tributaries, the James River and tributaries, and the seaside of the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

 

New options for fiscal year 2024 are:

  • VMRC-approved and permitted Stone is now an alternative to natural shell substrate
  • The requirement to plant a living overlay of spat on shell  will be based upon natural recruitment of tract or lease area

For more information please see associated PDF. (FY24 VA NRCS Oyster Program)

Eligibility:

If you’re interested in participating in this RCPP Oyster Bed Restoration Initiative, you must first meet VMRC technical eligibility requirements and complete their technical checklist form. (See additional documents below).  Next, you must meet the basic USDA eligibility criteria. Lastly, call or visit one of the seven Virginia USDA Service Centers listed below. Once you receive VMRC approval, these conservationists will also work with you to develop a conservation plan for the leased land.

 


 


Virginia NRCS Aquaculture Program Contacts:

Jeff Jones, State Biologist
1606 Santa Rosa Road, Suite 209, Henrico, VA 23229-5014
PH: 804-287-1636 / Email: jeffray.jones@usda.gov

District Conservationists for Participating Service Centers: 

Jennifer Templeton, Accomac
PH: 757-302-4435
Email: jennifer.templeton@usda.gov
Service Area: Accomack and Northampton counties

Trenton Howell, Chesapeake
PH: 757-389-7606
Email: trenton.howell@usda.gov
Service Area: Cities of Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth and Norfolk

Scott Hammond, Gloucester
PH: 804-210-3243
Email: scott.hammond@usda.gov
Service Area: Gloucester, Mathews and Middlesex counties

Michael Combs, Quinton
PH: 804-966-3076
Email: michael.combs@usda.gov
Service Area: Cities of Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, Williamsburg and Richmond and Charles City, New Kent, James City, York and Henrico counties

Jake Browder, Smithfield
PH: 757-279-3286
Email: jake.browder@usda.gov
Service Area: City of Suffolk and Isle of Wight and Surry counties

Dwight Forrester, Tappahannock
PH: 804-466-3188
Email: dwight.forrester@usda.gov
Service Area: Essex, King William and King and Queen counties

Lucee Kossler, Warsaw
PH: 804-250-4462
Email: lucia.kossler@usda.gov 
Service Area: Richmond,  Westmoreland, Northumberland and Lancaster counties

 

 

Ready to get started?

Contact your local service center to start your application.

Find Your Local Service Center

USDA Service Centers are locations where you can connect with Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, or Rural Development employees for your business needs. Enter your state and county below to find your local service center and agency offices. If this locator does not work in your browser, please visit offices.usda.gov.

How to Get Assistance

Do you farm or ranch and want to make improvements to the land that you own or lease?

Natural Resources Conservation Service offers technical and financial assistance to help farmers, ranchers and forest landowners.

how to get started

To get started with NRCS, we recommend you stop by your local NRCS field office. We’ll discuss your vision for your land.

NRCS provides landowners with free technical assistance, or advice, for their land. Common technical assistance includes: resource assessment, practice design and resource monitoring. Your conservation planner will help you determine if financial assistance is right for you.

We’ll walk you through the application process. To get started on applying for financial assistance, we’ll work with you:

  • To fill out an AD 1026, which ensures a conservation plan is in place before lands with highly erodible soils are farmed. It also ensures that identified wetland areas are protected.
  • To meet other eligibility certifications.

Once complete, we’ll work with you on the application, or CPA 1200.

Applications for most programs are accepted on a continuous basis, but they’re considered for funding in different ranking periods. Be sure to ask your local NRCS district conservationist about the deadline for the ranking period to ensure you turn in your application in time.

As part of the application process, we’ll check to see if you are eligible. To do this, you’ll need to bring:

  • An official tax ID (Social Security number or an employer ID)
  • A property deed or lease agreement to show you have control of the property; and
  • A farm number.

If you don’t have a farm number, you can get one from USDA’s Farm Service Agency. Typically, the local FSA office is located in the same building as the local NRCS office. You only need a farm number if you’re interested in financial assistance.

NRCS will take a look at the applications and rank them according to local resource concerns, the amount of conservation benefits the work will provide and the needs of applicants. View Application Ranking Dates by State.

If you’re selected, you can choose whether to sign the contract for the work to be done.

Once you sign the contract, you’ll be provided standards and specifications for completing the practice or practices, and then you will have a specified amount of time to implement. Once the work is implemented and inspected, you’ll be paid the rate of compensation for the work if it meets NRCS standards and specifications.