New River Oyster Highway, Phase 1

CCA NC provided financial and volunteer support for the New River Oyster Highway project. The project involved the building of new oyster reefs in the New River to provide a “stepping stone” approach to the rebuilding oysters in the New River estuary. In November 2017, CCA NC presented a $50,000 check to the City of Jacksonville, N.C., for Phase 1 of the New River Oyster Highway Project. The CCA NC contribution was made possible by the generous support of the Eddie and Jo Allison Smith Foundation.

Throughout the spring of 2018, CCA NC volunteers assisted a team from the UNC Institute for Marine Sciences and the City of Jacksonville with the on-water construction of the Phase 1 oyster reefs in the central portion of the estuary to host oyster brood stock populations to supply larvae for habitats within the central and upper portions of the New River.

The enhanced oyster populations created by the New River Oyster Highway Project provide valuable ecosystem services to the entire watershed and serve as destination sites for recreational fishers.