Building a Turn-Key Oyster Nursery System

Do-it-yourselfers with an itch to build an oyster nursery can now find all the instructional resources they need on Louisiana Sea Grant’s YouTube channel.

A year ago, John Supan, oyster specialist with Louisiana Sea Grant and the LSU AgCenter and director of the Sea Grant Oyster Lab on Grand Isle, hosted a video demonstrating how to build an oyster nursery silo from a 55-gallon plastic drum. A companion video released this summer shows how to assemble several silos into a full-fledged nursery, and provides tips on how to run and maintain the operation.

“I was amazed at the popularity of the first video,” said Supan. “There have been more than 1,200 views, and I think that shows the importance of video as an outreach tool.

“Traditionally, we would put together a fact sheet or brochure on how to build an oyster nursery with a limited amount of illustrations. With the video, I can walk the viewer through the process step-by-step, and they can see first-hand all the intricacies,” he added.

Most of the Louisiana’s oysters are farmed on reefs. This includes oyster farms that are dependent on a source of wild seed oysters, usually transplanted from public oyster grounds that historically have cyclical production. Building and operating an oyster nursery allows an oyster farmer to be less dependent on the state for oyster seed. Nurseries also can produce single oysters for the half-shell market using off-bottom culture methods.

Build a Drum Oyster Nursery Silo – www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcd6m6c51Gg

Operating a Drum Oyster Nursery Silo – www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUm3KakDk_E