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Regulatory Framework of Shellfish Enhancement Methods in Federal Waters
Shellfish support major fisheries along the continental shelf of the United States’ East Coast. They are also especially sensitive to changing environments and anthropogenic stressors. Shellfish depend on recruitment of younger organisms to replenish their stock as they continue to be fished and experience natural mortality trends. While there is annual variability in the scale of natural recruitment, aquaculture-based stock enhancement may help stabilize, or even grow populations of shellfish. A significant amount of law and policy research has already occurred in state waters. However, the regulatory framework governing these practices in federal waters remains ambiguous or altogether absent.
The project first establishes a Shellfish Enhancement Advisory Committee (SEAC), which will has identified specific law and policy questions. These questions cover an array of topics, including the role of different entities (like the Army Corps of Engineers) the legal status of seed ownership in hatcheries, how enhancement activities interact from possession limits for regulated species, and legal requirements for genetics and disease testing. The VCRC’s main role in this project is to conduct a legal analysis addressing these issues identified by the Committee, in order to inform the understanding and constrains of the current regulatory, policy, and legal environment for shellfish enhancement in federal waters.
- People and Entities Involved Outside of W&M:
- Daphne Munroe, Associate Professor of Marine & Coastal Science, Rutgers University
- Michael Acquafredda, Assistant Professor of Marine & Coastal Sciences / Extension Specialist in Aquaculture, Rutgers University & NJ Sea Grant
- Katie Hill, Public Service Assistant Faculty, University of Georgia Carl Vinson Institute of Government
- Patrick Field, Senior Mediator, Consensus Building Institute
- People and Entities at W&M Involved:
- David Rudders (PI), Associate Director, VIMS Marine Advisory Program
- Andrew Scheld (Co-PI), Associate Professor, Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences
- Thomas Ruppert, VCRC Director
- Kennedy Brown, W&M Law School J.D. Candidate (Fall 2026)