Local oyster farmer details operations, calls for more partnerships on living-dock projects

NICOLETTE MARIANO, founder and aquaculture biologist of Treasure Coast Shellfish, told the Natural Resource Board on Sept. 2 that her Sebastian operation leases just under 7 acres from the state and is the only oyster aquaculture farm in Indian River County.

Mariano said the farm uses both diploid and triploid eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) and that triploids'which do not reproduce'grow faster and are useful for market sales, while diploids contribute larvae back to the lagoon. "The diploids will spawn and give back to the local environment," she said.

Why it matters: Mariano framed aquaculture as both a business and a habitat-restoration tool. She described oysters' filtration capacity and the farm's role as three-dimensional habitat in an estuary that has lost seagrass. She also outlined operational and regulatory challenges that affect local production, including storm damage, extreme temperatures and gaps in insurance and disaster programs for shellfish farmers.

Mariano described recent environmental and operational setbacks: drought and high salinity readings, an extended high-temperature event captured by a research logger, and two hurricanes that damaged gear and stock. She said loggers recorded sea temperatures that exceeded 90'F in June during one episode and that some market-sized oysters later showed 100% mortality. "This was all beautiful market product'a 100% dead," she said.

Mariano said Treasure Coast Shellfish planted roughly 1,200,000 seed this year and estimated that the farm'once adults reach about 3 inches'will be filtering about 60 million gallons of water per day. She also described the farm's certified processing practices and the state's cooling requirements: rapid cooling is required May through September, and product must reach 55'F within two hours during that period.

Board members and other meeting participants asked about food-safety risk and Vibrio bacteria. Mariano said the farm tests oysters and water and works under state monitoring and processing standards; she urged consumers with health concerns to cook shellfish. "We haven't had any issues in our area," she said.

Mariano also described a small pilot with Reef Arch and Sea & Shoreline in which reef-arch inserts were placed in farm bags and collected spat (baby oysters) that could later be relayed to restoration sites. She proposed that oyster farmers could collect spat on structures and contribute them to local living-dock and shoreline restoration programs, potentially paired with incentives such as nutrient or carbon credits.

Heather Stapleton of the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program confirmed details about an upcoming living-docks workshop and said the county will run two 90-minute shifts for volunteers who will build mats for later installation. "There'll be 2 sessions on Friday. 1 is from 9 to 10:30. The other is from 10:30 to 12," Stapleton said.

Mariano recommended collaboration between restoration programs and farmers to use remote sets or reef inserts to grow spat on farm gear and then relay it to restoration sites. "We did a little pilot project out on the farm where we put the Reef Arch inserts out in our bags in the cages, and they did recoup crew oysters spat," she said.

Mariano also described regulatory and program gaps for aquaculture: she said USDA disaster and crop-insurance programs (for example NAP and ELAP) have added aquaculture but do not always address farmers' specific losses from drought or storm damage. "Aquaculture is still new, and there are things that is difficult for us," she said.

Looking ahead, Mariano said the farm is working to recover market supply after this year's losses and continues to employ seasonal staff. She encouraged board members to consider partnerships that would let local restoration programs access farm-produced spat for living-dock and reef efforts.

Mariano: "The goal'to play off of that as well is a 3 plus inch oyster. Where can you find our oysters? We are waiting right now for our product to grow ... We're hoping by the end of the month, we'll start having our oysters back into these restaurants."