USA: University of Georgia helps jumpstart local oyster industry

Is an oyster livestock? What exactly are the potential land-based components of marine oyster farms? Where might these activities be located, and how can communities adjust their land use codes to provide for them? Those are just a few questions coastal communities face as oyster farming grows in Georgia. As new state laws increase opportunities for communities to potentially benefit from the industry, University of Georgia researchers at the Carl Vinson Institute of Government are working to help land use planners and potential farmers navigate the legal framework. The effort comes from watching neighbouring states wrestle with issues between landowners and oyster farmers as demand for the salty shellfish increases. “We’d like Georgia communities to have the information they need to avoid unnecessary conflicts and confusion,” said Katie Hill, a faculty member in the Vinson Institute’s Planning and Environmental Services Unit. “We want to both educate communities generally on ...