Building a Living Shoreline with High School Youth at the New Jersey Aquaculture Innovation Center

“Living shorelines” are an emerging tactic for protecting or stabilizing shorelines against erosion. Rather than building hard structures of concrete, rock or wood, living shorelines use natural features that take advantage of natural regenerative properties that provide structural integrity. The New Jersey Aquaculture Innovation Center (NJAIC) in Cape May is operated by Rutgers University’s Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory (HSRL) and has experienced erosion in an adjacent swale. The swale is a natural feature that transitions from the tide zone to the uplands providing beach, marsh, and forest habitats. It drains the surrounding uplands as well as the water that circulates through the facility to feed and sustain the shellfish and other organisms cultivated there. Waves and rising sea level have eroded the banks and are eliminating these riparian habitats which protect the NJAIC. Rather than building a wall of concrete or rock, we decided to construct a living shoreline comprised of oyster reef, mussel beds, and marsh grasses to stop the erosion. Hard structures reflect the energy of waves and currents transferring it elsewhere where it may cause damage even though they may protect the immediate shoreline. Natural habitats tend to absorb and dissipate the energy stopping the impact rather than transferring it. The habitats support a diversity of life that is not supported by hard structures. It’s a win-win for the NJAIC and nature. The project fit well with our connection to UrbanPromise [urbanpromiseusa.org/] through Project PORTS (Promoting Oyster Restoration Through Schools) run by HSRL. UrbanPromise students have been engaged in shellfish research at HSRL facilities via an annual field trip for the last few years. This project provided a novel hands on experiential learning opportunity turning the win-win into a win-win-win.
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[@genelasaname]

Amazing work!

[@ChanaReich]

Great job in including teens in this project ❤❤❤❤

[@JoanneLeon]

Thank you for this inspiring and important work

[@Pam501]

Great work - so good to see the amount of growing medium recovered in a year! Here in the UK the realisation of the value of coastal marshes is also rapidly gaining traction!

[@iwanabana]

This is an amazing project and I can't wait to see what comes out in a few years' time. You guys should definitely reach out to bigger channels like Tom Scott, SciShow, or collaborate with other restoration channels like Mossy Earth to gain more awareness and traction!

[@RutgersNJAES]

Glad you like the project and thanks for the recommendations