Hatchery

At the research facilities of the Department of Agriculture, the incubator can hold hundreds of eggs. Sue Rosoff manages the hatchery.

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This is where the home-grown oysters are planted, along with 2.5 billion oyster spat that come directly from the state oyster hatchery. While homeowners only grow a couple of million by comparison each year, a much higher percent of the nurtured oysters survive.

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Webster sees aquaculture as a way to bring the oysters back. Hatchery "seed" — farm-raised juvenile oysters — are being used to create oyster sanctuaries, where harvesting is prohibited.

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In addition to these protected sanctuaries, says Webster, there are also managed reserves, where diseased oysters are removed and replaced with disease-free hatchery seed. The oysters are allowed to grow until 60 percent of them are at least 10 centimeters long. Once the oysters have reached adult size, the reserves are opened up for harvest, supporting the commercial fishery.

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