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With dredge uncertain, staff outlines alternatives: house-shell purchases, mechanical extraction, stockpiling
Summary
Staff said alternatives to the hydraulic dredge include expanding house-shell purchases, exploring out-of-state sources, and mechanical extraction and sorting (land-based stockpiling), but warned costs and capacity are uncertain until bids and scale are defined.
After committee members raised concerns about losing dredge capacity, Andrew outlined alternative ways to secure shell: expand the shucker/house-shell program, explore sourcing shell from other states, and mechanically extract and wash/sort shell from seaside deposits for land stockpiling. He noted one successful example of mechanical stockpiling at Craney Island and said those techniques could be scaled but that costs could vary widely once put out to bid. "There's other sources of... upland shell and there are other options for extracting shell from these shell deposits that have been utilized sort of almost inadvertently in Virginia," he said.
Committee members acknowledged those options but urged caution: mechanical extraction may be more expensive per bushel than historical dredge rates, and large-scale stockpiling would require procurement planning. Staff said they will pursue procurement conversations and try to quantify per-bushel costs before the next meeting.
