Atlantic and Gulf Coast Oyster Reefs Are at Historic Lows but Can Recover

Oysters have been part of the human diet for millennia. In the United States, they were a “founding food,” providing a valuable source of protein for Native Americans and European settlers. They were once abundant and cheap, but overfishing, habitat loss, pollution, and disease decimated their populations during the 20th century. Today, three-quarters of the world’s wild oyster reefs are found in just five locations along the mid-Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts. With oyster populations at historic lows, communities are losing not only fresh wild seafood but also the many other benefits of oysters, which filter coastal water, provide habitat for diverse marine life, buffer coastlines against strong storms, and support jobs and recreational activities that rely on healthy estuaries. 

Fortunately, oysters are remarkably resilient, and under the right conditions, they can rebuild productive reefs quickly, often in two to five years. Governments, conservation groups, researchers, and oyster growers in states along the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts have taken steps to halt the loss and kick-start the recovery of this keystone species. They are developing statewide plans to coordinate research on and management of commercial harvest, aquaculture, and restoration and building new reefs, sometimes out of shells collected from restaurants and coastal communities. 

Recognizing the importance of clean water and the need for sufficient adult oysters to spawn and seed reefs, fishery managers and local governments also are safeguarding oyster habitat and designating some reefs as protected sanctuaries to help boost the populations. In addition, a burgeoning oyster farming, or mariculture, industry has the potential to meet consumer demand for oysters while also contributing some of the same ecological benefits as wild oyster reefs. 

The challenges and opportunities for oyster recovery vary from state to state, but in each location, science and collaboration with stakeholders can lead to long-lasting solutions that will allow future generations to benefit from all that oysters have to offer.