View of Adams Point oyster reef and Great Bay
from the shoreline
Oysters in Great Bay
The eastern oyster probably flourished in the Great Bay/Piscataqua River system in New Hampshire for thousands of years. It was a seasonal food source for the earliest Native American inhabitants as well as the first European settlers, who arrived in the early 17th century. As the human population expanded, significant pressures were placed upon oysters, stemming from problems such as overharvesting, water pollution from sewage discharges into estuaries, and heavy sedimentation from the mill industry.
Oyster populations in New Hampshire took their first big hit in 1874 when a survey team mapping the waterways in Great Bay reported flourishing, unexploited oyster reefs. Residents in the coastal towns surrounding the Bay responded to these reports with excitement and oystermen began harvesting for commercial purposes, both manually with oyster tongs and with specialized schooner dredges. During the winter season, oystermen cut gaping holes in the ice and methodically stripped oyster reefs with horse-drawn dredges. Within five years, the unabashed exploitation of oysters in Great Bay caused the resource to be near depletion. State regulations had been imposed by 1879, but the resource and commercial fishery has never returned. Today, oysters are only harvested recreationally, remaining an important social and cultural resource for New Hampshire’s citizens.
Reference
W. Jeffrey Bolster, ed. Cross-Grained and Wily Waters: A guide to the Piscataqua Maritime Region. Peter E. Randall Publisher. Portsmouth, NH. (Click here for more information on this book.)
Map of Great Bay oyster reefs - click for larger view
