Shellfish Farm Proposed In Pleasant Bay

HARWICH – The town has received its first request to locate an aquaculture farm in local waters. 

Paul Wittenstein made a presentation to the conservation commission on Oct. 21 seeking approval to use a 1.5-acre plot offshore from Wequassett Resort and Golf Club in Pleasant Bay for his Jack Knife Sea Farm. The plan is to grow primarily oysters, but quahogs might also be grown there, according to Wittenstein.

Wittenstein is a Harwich resident and manager of Aquacultural Research Corps, a commercial shellfish nursery that produces shellfish seed for many aquaculture farms across the Cape. He has 20 years experience working in aquaculture. 

The proposed site would be 250 feet offshore from the Wequassett Resort, east of the resort’s mooring field. Wittenstein said he has the support of the resort, and they have discussed providing aquaculture education opportunities for guests. He said he would also provide educational opportunities for Pleasant Bay Community Boating and the Monomoy Regional School System.

The oysters would be contained in off-bottom cages, submerged longline, rack and bag systems, and direct bottom culture of large juveniles. The gear would be arranged to remain fully submerged at high tide, with some gear exposed at low tide, he said.

Natural Resources Director Stephanie Ridenour said she is in favour of issuance of the shellfish aquaculture license for the site. She also said the town’s waterways committee supports the proposal.

Ridenour said she and Wittenstein did a preliminary survey of the site because state Division of Marine Fisheries (MDMF) provisions do not allow grants on productive shellfish grounds. The location was determined to be non-productive in a preliminary survey.

Ridenour said the site is modest and is in character with Harwich. 

 “This is one of the few areas where it is quite private. It’s not an area where people actively recreate,” Ridenour said. 

The process for issuing the license requires conservation commission, select board and MDMF approval. Conservation Administrator Amy Usowski recommended that the commission not make a decision, allowing the select board to act on the necessary approval and MDMF to conduct its certification process, which includes surveying the site, before the commission acts on the notice of intent. 

The MDMF certification process includes an in-person survey that examines the impacts on wild shellfish populations, overlap with seagrasses, and potential impacts to endangered species. The state certification begins after the select board issues its approval. 

 Wittenstein said growing up in town he spent a lot of time in the bay and he had hoped he could start an aquaculture farm in town. Wittenstein said he always thought of this location when considering a farm.

 “I think shellfish will do well there,” he said.

 “I’m a cranberry grower, a farmer at heart, so any time someone wants to grow food on land or the ocean, I’m for it and will be supportive,” said commission member Wayne Coulson.

Coulson said when the shellfish there spawn it will populate the whole environment, and that’s a plus for the bay. He also said as filter feeders, the shellfish will remove nitrogen.

 “I think it’s a great idea,” Coulson said.

 “I’m absolutely supportive of aquaculture at every level,” added commission member Mark Coleman.

Speaking on behalf of the Pleasant Bay Alliance, an oversight committee made up of representatives from Harwich, Chatham, Orleans and Brewster which has a wide ranging resource management plan in place for the embayment, Carole Ridley said more information is needed from the applicant. She said there is a state-designated Area of Critical Environmental Concern in the bay that will also require filing of an environmental notification with the Massachusetts Environmental Protection Act (MEPA). In that process, the project will be looked at from the view of the state management plan. 

The alliance’s steering committee has looked at the proposal and determined there is not enough information to conduct a robust review of the proposal. The Alliance has sent a letter identifying the types of information essential for completion of a review, she said, including more information on site conditions, sourcing of seed, the means of controlling conflicts with other activities occurring on the bay. 

Ridley took issue with the size of the proposed grant, suggesting it would be wise for the applicant to request a much smaller area to begin. 

Usowski said she would like to have time to discuss the proposal with Wittenstein and Ridenour to address performance standards. She urged the commission to postpone a decision on the notice of intent until the select board and MDMF act on the proposal. The commission agreed.