Sustainable Oyster Aquaculture in Coastal Ecosystems for Optimal Management of Nutrient-Loading

Abstract

Excess nitrogen and other pollutants have been a concern in New York and Connecticut’s coastal waters for nearly 40 years. The waters in the Long Island Sound (LIS) area are affected by water quality concerns from nitrogen inputs, algal blooms, and eutrophication. New York and Connecticut established a plan to reduce nitrogen pollution in LIS by 58.5 percent. The plan, called the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), was approved in 2001 and updated in 2015 with input from stakeholders. Commercial bioremediation represents a new potential path forward to remedy nitrogen eutrophication, changing the incentive structure from one rooted in government subsidization and directed actions to reduce nitrogen pollution into the sound to one that relies on private producers engaged in a for-profit enterprise. The commercial cultivation of various oyster species, like oyster native to the waters of the LIS, has been suggested as one possible strategy to address the nitrogen issue. Utilizing a dynamic optimization model, our research presents a feasible path to address nitrogen eutrophication at targeted reduction levels while balancing government expenditures and subsidization against the potential for-profit aquaculture production by private producers.