University of Southern Miss receives grant for oyster hatchery

Last week it was announced that the University of Southern Miss is receiving a $7.3 million grant for an oyster hatchery.

With this grant, USM hopes to improve their work efficiency by having both the algae and oyster facilities in one building and expanding their capabilities from 300 million oysters a year to 2.5 or 3 billion oysters a year. At their Gulf Coast Research Lab, students can get hands on experience training in oyster aquaculture. Aquaculture Biologist Bradley Deleon said, “An example of some of the work that we’ve done this year and some of the work we’ve put on the whole shell, this right here will be set on various reef restorations for the state in the Mississippi Sound.”

That process is called ‘spat on shell.’ It is one of two main restoration processes done at USM’s lab. The other is done by producing oyster seed that local fishermen can use to raise individuals oyster for the half shell market.

While there was no oyster season last year, many local farmers were still able to harvest on the south side of Deer Island.

Anita Agruelles is a local oyster farmer. She is also the founder of French Hermit Oyster, a group of farmers working together to supply oysters to restaurants. They have  been working with USM to learn how to grow and raise their own oysters. “Mississippi doesn’t have a commercial fishing hatchery. So, we’re hopeful as farmers we can learn how to raise oysters, how to set our own oysters, and set our own oyster production.”

It’s been a long battle for oyster farmers to successfully harvest in Mississippi. “We were kind of plagued by one thing after the other. We had the Bonnet Carre Spillway which killed all of our market sized oysters. We had an interruption with COVID and then harmful algal blooms.”