Investment into oyster restoration delivers almost double the amount in economic and environmental benefits, a new report has celebrated, adding that for every $1 spent on reef restoration so far, communities have seen as much as $1.70 in return.

Findings presented by the North Carolina Coastal Federation detail the vast positive impact oyster reef restoration projects have had on local communities, citing an additional $34 million in sales generated by local businesses as a direct result of oyster conservation work.

In fact, the economic report found that for every $1 spent on oyster reef restoration, the state of North Carolina sees $1.70 in return, claims assessed and corroborated by independent researchers from RTI International.

The figures were taken from a value assessment made of restoring the 400-acre Senator Jean Preston Oyster Sanctuary Network in Pamlico Sound.

“Investing in oyster reef restoration means investing in all of the benefits these reefs provide and the benefits of the restoration work itself,” said NOAA Marine Habitat Resource Specialist, Stephanie Krug. “This report is vital in telling that story.”

In the decade between 2013 and 2023, NOAA’s Office of Habitat Conservation and the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries joined local partners to invest some $20 million into building this particular oyster sanctuary network. In those ten years, this has supported 143 jobs; generated $34 million in revenue for North Carolina businesses; and provided $8.7 million in employee wages and benefits.

Local business owners have been cited within the report as calling the restoration efforts a “shot in the arm” for the local economy. Will Hollowell, operations manager at Stevens Towing Company of North Carolina, a family-owned business responsible for transporting limestone, granite, and other materials used as a base for oyster reef restoration work in the sanctuary says the economic boost is particularly noticeable in the spring and summer months.

“There are local quarries that supply the rock and the truck drivers that haul 43,000 tonnes of rock to our location. They need fuel and they need lunch,” he said. “I buy roughly $3,000 worth of provisions and supplies every two weeks. That’s a good boost to these rural areas.”

Researchers anticipate the restored oyster reefs to produce $38 million in ecosystem benefits through to 2048. 

They highlight that healthy oyster reefs also support commercial and recreational fisheries by creating habitat for hundreds of species, including blue crab, shrimp, flounder, and sea bass; improve water quality and clarity by removing pollutants, sediment, and excess algae; and reduce the impact of waves and storm surges, protecting the coastline from erosion.

The report notes that while fishermen cannot harvest from the sanctuary reefs themselves, the protected oysters support other harvestable reefs by producing larvae. While the sanctuary reefs represent only about 6% of the oyster reef footprint in the Pamlico Sound, they produce 25% of the Sound’s oyster larvae. Currents then disperse this free-floating larvae throughout the Sound.

“This network protects nearly 350 million oysters,” said North Carolina Coastal Federation Oyster Programme director, Erin Fleckenstein. “These reefs serve as an insurance policy to our oyster populations.”

Over the course of the last century, North Carolina lost more than 90% of its oyster reef area. Investing in reef restoration in Pamlico Sound is therefore recognised as vital to preserving the benefits that oysters provide.

In 2023, NOAA’s Office of Habitat Conservation awarded the Federation an additional $14.9 million to expand the sanctuary network to 500 acres by 2026. This funding was unlocked via the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Stevens Towing actually began building the new oyster reef in 2024 and the company will return this spring and in 2026.

“I – as well as many members of our Steven Towing family – grew up on the coast of eastern North Carolina, so we look at this as an honour to be able to give back to the environment and be part of something bigger,” said Hollowell. “It’s nice to help secure it for our families and future generations to come.”

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