Oregon’s coast holds huge opportunity for restorative mariculture, report finds

Oregon’s coast holds significant opportunity to expand restorative cultivation of marine and coastal species with ecological benefits for the natural environment, according to a recent assessment led by the Nature Conservancy.

The spatial assessment found that expansion to Oregon’s mariculture industry, beyond the Pacific oyster to include native shellfish and seaweed species, would support healthy marine ecosystems and the livelihoods of local communities. The report focused on 11 readily cultivated shellfish and seaweeds in nearshore coastal waters and estuaries.

“We expect the mariculture assessment will spawn a number of new businesses on the Oregon coast in the coming years, bringing new exciting products to local and regional markets based on seaweeds and native shellfish," said Dick Vander Schaaf, spatial assessment project director for The Nature Conservancy.

The assessment found strong potential for growing Olympia oysters — Oregon's only native oyster species — in several estuaries and kelp cultivation on more than 100,000 acres providing ecosystem, environmental, economic and cultural benefits.

The report also found that south coast areas such as Gold Beach, Port Orford, Brookings and Bandon, consistently emerge as optimal locations for kelp cultivation given the space available and ideal growth conditions, indicating these areas are well suited for larger-scale bull kelp cultivation.

Five estuaries stand out for Olympia oysters: Tillamook, Netarts, Yaquina, Umpqua and Coos Bay, while other estuaries without current mariculture activity emerge as future opportunity areas: Nehalem and Alsea.

In Netarts Bay, The Nature Conservancy and a local oyster farm have partnered to cultivate native Olympia oysters as a new economic opportunity for mariculture, while also restoring habitat in the bay.

TNC and partners are working together to expand the restorative mariculture industry in Oregon. The partnership, called the Oregon Coast Mariculture Collaborative, consists of five organizations including TNC, Ecotrust, Oregon Sea Grant, Oregon Aquaculture Association and the Oregon Kelp Alliance.

"Seeing bull kelp growing in the water off Port Orford again is incredibly exciting," Oregon Kelp Alliance executive director Tom Calvanese said. "This pilot is a small step, but it shows what's possible — that we can rebuild kelp forests while also building a new, restorative branch of Oregon's coastal economy."

Along Oregon’s south coast, partners at the Oregon Kelp Alliance are conducting a small-scale pilot project to demonstrate cultivation and harvest of native kelp around Port Orford. Native kelp beds support coastal biodiversity in ocean habitats that are essential for rearing juvenile fishes. Native bull kelp is well suited to Oregon’s high-energy coastal environment and expanded mariculture practice could facilitate ORKA’s restoration work.

The assessment is a jumping-off point for expanding Oregon’s restorative mariculture industry. It will provide guidance and support to inform siting of new mariculture projects along our coast and help inform the policies that guide implementation.