Now in its fifth year, the program offers a volunteer education program about shellfish aquaculture and water quality. The instructors are scientists from the Rutgers Haskin Shellfish Research Lab, Cooperative Extension and the DEP. So far, over 70 volunteers have been trained, and they have raised 3.5 million clam seed, and 500,000 disease resistant oysters. Besides raising clams and oysters, the volunteers educate the public about shellfish, water quality, the Barnegat Bay, and wise use of resources to help keep the Barnegat Bay a treasured resource for years to come.

• Class Syllabus Spring 2009

The Barnegat Bay Restoration Program Class of 2008

After the Spring session, the volunteers spend the summer raising clams and oysters in our land based upwellers and our FLUPSY floating dock systems. They tend to their crop weekly, and provide onsite education at the growing sites, as well as other local fairs and festivals. In the fall, the clam seed are planted under predator screens for the winter, and the oysters transferred into taylor floats. Classroom instruction also resumes in the fall, culminating with an assessment on all of the material they have learned through the course of the year.

For more information about the Barnegat Bay Shellfish Restoration Program, contact the Ocean County Extension office.

Putting Seed in the Upweller

Counting Clams from under Predator Screen