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VMRC reports 2025 replenishment work: seed transport, stone placement and more than 850,000 bushels of shell planted
Summary
VMRC staff told the Shellfish Management Advisory Committee the 2025 replenishment program moved roughly 18,000 bushels of seed, placed 10,000 tons of stone in Mobjack Bay under a NOAA grant and planted more than 850,000 bushels of shell across multiple rivers; per-bushel costs and remaining funding were discussed.
Andrew (VMRC staff) told the Shellfish Management Advisory Committee on July 23 that the 2025 replenishment and restoration program emphasized seed transport, reef construction and widespread shell planting across Virginia’s tidal rivers.
The most notable actions this spring included moving nearly 12,000 bushels of dredged seed from Lower James River to the Upper Pocomoke and Upper Rappahannock, and moving about 6,000 bushels from Upper James River hand-tong harvests with roughly 3,000 bushels going to the Wicomico/York tributary area and about 3,000 bushels to hand-tong areas in Potomac tributaries, Andrew said. The department also placed approximately 10,000 tons of stone in Mobjack Bay under a four‑year NOAA-funded grant that will create nearly 60 acres of new reef adjacent to Browns Bay when complete.
“Shell planting this year included over 850,000 bushels of shell,” Andrew said, describing deployments across the James, Rappahannock, York, Pocomoke and Pocomoke Sound and noting the shell sources included bow‑shucking house shell, dredge shell from Lower James deposits and some seaside deposits on the Eastern Shore.
Why it matters: committee members and staff said the combination of seed movement, targeted stone placement and large shell plantings is intended to boost recruitment and market‑size oyster production in tributaries that have received heavy harvest pressure or have lower natural recruitment. The Mobjack Bay stone placement is tied to a NOAA grant and is intended to create durable reef structure to support oysters and associated habitat.
Cost and logistics: Andrew reported that hand‑tossed seed from the James River cost about $14.50 per bushel “overboard.” He said dry shell transport costs depended on distance from dredge sites and typically ranged roughly $3.50 to $4.50 per bushel. He told the committee that the program still had funding remaining for additional spring projects but that replenishment can be expensive and funding levels influence quantities and locations of plantings.
Committee response and next steps: committee members thanked field crews for long hours and expressed guarded optimism about spat sets and post‑planting spat survival. Andrew said one additional project — about 1,500 tons of stone in the Rappahannock near an existing sanctuary — was likely to occur this season. Staff said they will provide more detailed area‑by‑area breakdowns of quantities planted and recent harvest data at or before the next SMAC meeting so committee members can weigh replenishment priorities alongside proposed rotations.
Ending: VMRC staff and committee members agreed to use these results and updated surveys to inform seasonal rotation recommendations to be circulated ahead of the next SMAC meeting in early August.
