Ecosystem Targets and Supporting Indicators

Shellfish Harvested

Increase the harvest of oysters, clams, and scallops in the Sound through a combination of habitat management and shellfish aquaculture.

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Progress

While current New York data was available for the entire time series, Connecticut harvest data was not reported from 2010-2015. Harvesters re-established reporting  their data to the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Aquaculture’s Shellfish Sanitation Program in 2016.  In spite of the 5-year data gap it appears that oyster harvests have increased while clams have declined slightly.

Shellfish Harvested (NY)
YearOysters (bushels)Clams (bushels)Total Clams and Oysters (bushels)Scallops (pounds)
1990106,36467,510173,8740
1991111,13167,048178,1790
1992117,83368,792186,6250
199374,64474,780149,4240
199416,80380,52897,3365
199546,463106,397152,8600
199694,796102,873197,6690
199769,538120,556190,879785
199830,59592,778123,3730
19998,426109,566117,9920
200018,47976,90395,3820
200131,40060,80992,2090
200264,91752,982117,8990
200358,65375,072133,7250
200446,66477,322123,9860
200527,63694,789122,44125
200615,412102,318117,7300
200733,822115,790149,6120
200839,122104,151143,2730
200915,42193,538108,9590
201020,62977,46298,0910
201122,13069,12891,2580
201235,12192,151127,2720
201356,275140,566196,841204
2014119,135130,045249,1800
201556,517140,355196,8720
201630,279155,338185,6170
201718,672122,571141,2430
201822,884101,638124,52213
201917,887117,043134,9300
20207,09382,78089,8730
20216,27979,58885,8670
20224,15484,95089,1040
20236,02077,73783,7570
Shellfish Harvested (CT)
YearOysters (bags)Clams (bags)Total (bags)Oysters (Pieces)Clams (Pieces)
1990380,000146,250526,250
1991540,390154,026694,416
1992893,964146,7331,040,697
1993700,882157,735858,617
1994705,542192,891898,433
1995751,87652,257804,133
1996525,80952,423578,232
1997196,293241,768438,061
1998179,562128,544308,106
1999170,000130,000300,000
200081,015335,084416,099
200156,325281,811338,136
200232,035286,237318,272
200336,288336,502372,790
200424,116403,698427,814
200523,041420,529443,570
200652,851422,670475,521
2007132,933489,648622,581
2008161,305564,464725,769
2009187,096489,294676,390
2010220,100425,294645,394
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016 350,615402,457753,072
2017307,009309,661616,670
2018318,015332,223650,238
2019302,848236,181539,029
202017,253,177 30,056,568
2021 27,702,766 24,131,337
202222,097,751 8,850,954
202326,768,8449,858,681
Economic Value
YearOysters (CT)Oysters (NY)Clams (CT)Clams (NY)
1990 $22,648,802 $4,040,142$3,545,616 $5,108,563
1991 $26,718,000$2,726,272$3,827,000$4,782,163
1992$45,000,000 $3,114,321$4,402,000$4,828,004
1993$42,052,920 $2,191,104$6,309,400 $5,528,861
1994 $35,254,916 $766,083$7,549,960 $6,088,885
1995$41,353,180$1,661,027 $1,306,425$9,797,528
1996$28,919,495 $3,412,656$1,310,575$7,859,533
1997$5,103,618$2,420,786$8,667,648 $9,596,000
1998$8,978,090$811,903$5,105,760 $8,434,128
1999$1,050,000$367,201$6,500,000$8,654,606
2000 $4,839,468$1,215,086$9,415,356 $6,973,345
2001$3,244,510$2,067,914$9,929,575$5,392,530
2002$3,012,161$4,524,130$9,202,241$5,123,159
2003 $2,258,660$4,028,272$10,469,996 $7,174,873
2004$1,356,310$3,178,447$10,690,175 $7,508,179
2005$953,050$1,853,668$16,120,029 $8,977,323
2006$2,205,740 $999,216$18,135,291$9,139,395
2007 $5,142,099$2,265,203$20,530,982$10,368,370
2008$6,380,933 $2,612,567$24,125,959$9,305,892
2009 $6,984,640$1,079,428 $18,000,000$6,218,746
2010 $8,010,682$1,650,587$17,405,284$4,974,044
2011$1,549,077 $4,514,664
2012$2,458,457$6,759,215
2013$3,601,663$9,749,799
2014$8,339,466$8,893,656
2015$4,521,304$10,768,551
2016$17,952,798$2,422,247$11,313,066$10,677,143
2017$1,629,488$7,977,516
2018$1,830,795$6,096,496
2019$1,430,941$5,700,069
2020$9,057,918 $638,412$5,434,927 $4,871,831
2021$14,543,952 $800,566$4,169,794 $4,691,315
2022$11,711,808 $456,965 $1,532,991 $5,208,424
2023$14,187,487$645,794$1,724,167$4,053,933

Status and Trends

The hard clam harvest more than tripled in Connecticut in the first decade of the 21st century, in part because some lobster fishermen had turned to clamming as a result of the Long Island Sound 1998-1999 lobster die-off. In New York, clam production increased by more than 70 percent from 2012 to 2013.

There were likely many factors involved in the increase, including increased aquaculture production, and the reopening of shellfish beds in outer North Hempstead Harbor after a concerted local, state, and federal effort to improve water quality.

Oystering saw a resurgence in the 1980s and 1990s due to successful oyster culture practices.  However, the large commercial oyster industry peaked in 1992 and declined mainly due to MSX, a parasitic disease.

Oyster harvests began to rebound in 2006. In Connecticut, this was due in part to efforts to restore and protect oyster habitats.  From 2011-2015, Connecticut counts were not available (see data note), but in 2016, resource managers once again began receiving harvest numbers reported from Connecticut shell-fishers.

From 2012 to 2014, New York’s oyster harvest increased by more than 370 percent, in part due to increased aquaculture production. There were also increased harvests by baymen in Huntington/Northport Bays, and Western Long Island Sound. However, from 2014 to 2015, there was a decrease in oyster harvest, due to a major hatchery halting their seeding process, an outbreak of vibrio and an increase of wild oysters being sold for less.

Challenges

Specific goals and time frames for this target will be developed after considering shellfish management plans under development such as the Connecticut statewide plan. This target relies on accurate reporting of harvest from shellfishers to the states. Connecticut has lacked sufficient data on shellfish harvest since 2010. However, in 2020 Connecticut’s Department of Agriculture implemented a new reporting method (and metrics note the switch from bags reported to pieces) to simplify reporting for shellfish harvesters. This effort is expected to improve the reporting success going forward.

How is This Target Measured?

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and the Connecticut Bureau of Aquaculture track the weight (by bags or bushel) and economic value of oysters, clams, and scallops commercially harvested each year.

Importance

The filter-feeding capacity of shellfish can help keep near-shore waters clean by controlling phytoplankton abundance in the water column. 

The annual harvest numbers for oysters, clams, and scallops are an indicator of both abundances as well as the socioeconomic importance of these species to Long Island Sound.  Since harvest is only allowed in approved waters, this target is also an indirect reflection of water quality in the near-shore environment. This is particularly true in Connecticut where shellfishers can only harvest on their own leased beds.

Contact

Samarra Scantlebury, NYSDEC
[email protected]

Kathleen Knight, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection [email protected]

Source of Data

NYSDEC and CT Bureau of Aquaculture

DATA NOTES

  • The technical explanation on how the target was selected is found in Appendix B of the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan.
  • In Connecticut, the largest cultivated acreage producer failed to report harvest statistics from 2008-2010. As a result, the overall harvest growth rate was factored into the last reported figures by the company to obtain an estimate for 2009 and 2010 harvest numbers. However, no growth rate was factored for 2008 harvest numbers.
  • The CT Department of Agriculture Bureau of Aquaculture is in the process of transitioning to daily reporting of commercial shellfish landings via the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP), the principal source of dependable and timely marine fishery statistics for Atlantic coast fisheries. During the period between 2011 through 2015, no commercial shellfish landings data is available for CT.
  • There is no scallop fishery in CT.
  • In 2020 Connecticut modified the reporting system to be more secure and streamlined for commercial entities. While this is anticipated to be successful in longer term for gaining better participation, it does change the reporting metrics from bags to pieces. This reporting team is looking into methods to develop estimates for a continuous trend.

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