Swan Island Oyster Sanctuary Project: Phase Two
Representatives from several organizations gathered in Morehead City, NC this past Monday for a tour of year two of the Swan Island Oyster Sanctuary Project. This oyster restoration project in the Pamlico Sound, near the mouth of the Neuse River, is the largest project of the 50 million Oyster Initiative which has a goal of restoring 50 acres of oyster reef by 2020. The second phase of this project started May 11th is and should by completed by the end of June, weather permitting. 25,000 tons of granite rock is being used in this phase of the project to build 10 acres of reef because "it is more dense, and therefore less susceptible to environmental pests that occur in the Pamlico Sound." Jason Peters, Reef Enhancement Program Supervisor, says that the division hopes for 10 million oysters from this year's portion of the project. In the first year of the project, 15 acres of reef was built.
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