State may benefit by shelling out for aquaculture, Rutgers expert says

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State may benefit by shelling out for aquaculture, Rutgers expert says

By BEN LEACH Staff Writer, 609-272-7261

Published: Wednesday, October 15, 2008

TRENTON - Putting money into New Jersey's existing aquaculture market could stimulate the economy, create jobs and improve aquatic restoration efforts, according to information presented at a public policy seminar at the Statehouse on Tuesday.

According to Eric Powell, director of the Rutgers Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory in Commercial Township, Cumberland County, New Jersey's potential bivalve market is huge, with hard clams among the top 10 species harvested in New Jersey and generating about $7.5 million in revenue for the state annually.

"The potential is clearly there in New Jersey to expand our clam aquaculture," Powell said.

In the mid-1990s, New Jersey's aquaculture market was competitive with other states. In recent years, Florida and Virginia's markets have surged, and Powell attributes that to state funds invested into the markets.

Powell said the shellfish industry in New Jersey needs people to make it thrive - from managing harvests on land to manning crews on boats to handling the packing and transportation dockside - and employment opportunities exist in the shellfish industry where other kinds of employment aren't available.

Powell estimated the shellfish industry has produced $40 to $70 in the past three years for each dollar of taxpayer money invested into the industry.

"You're going to be hard-pressed to find values like this in other economic development programs," Powell said.

State and federal funds already have led to the creation of the Multispecies Aquaculture Demonstration Facility, or MADF, in Lower Township, where scientific research has led to a hatching capacity of 100,000 bushels of oysters per year, compared with the roughly 70,000 bushels per year produced from wild fisheries.

Legislative concerns for financing in aquaculture ranged from protecting consumer health to concerns for fishermen in light of the newly approved offshore wind farm.

"If something were to pollute the shellfish environment, what would they do?" asked Ernest Hagans, a senior fiscal analyst for the state Legislative Budget and Finance Office. "Who's there making sure that people are not consuming contaminated products?"

Powell said shellfish are only farmable in high-quality water and that they enhance the environment rather than degrade it.

E-mail Ben Leach:

BLeach@pressofac.com