Deploying cultch is a technique widely used to manage oyster fisheries.  Larval oysters tend to settle on hard surfaces, especially oyster shells (a tendency called gregarious settlement).  Since harvesting oysters removes shell from the habitat, it is important to counteract this loss of shell.

Since large collections of oyster shells are not readily available in the northeast US, we import truckloads of shucked sea clam shells.  In the past, this shell was loaded onto a barge and transported to sites where good settlement was expected.  There up to a dozen volunteers shoveled like crazy, spreading the shell around the harbor.  Even though it was a lot of work, commercial fishermen, aquaculturists and other Wellfleet residents joined in simply because it was so important.

Everyone agreed that a better, more efficient method had to be found.  This year we may have found one.  We modified a sander unit with a conveyer belt, and rigged it on top of the barge.  This allowed two people to operate the barge and spread the shell.

Here the Department of Public Works loads the container.

Here's an early test run where we didn't heap it up.

Later we started packing the container.  Jim McGrath drives the barge.

The shell was dispensed out the front of the sander, through a hatch.

Here is a cultched sight in Blackfish Creek at low tide.

Hopefully these shells will catch a good set (a lot of juvenile oysters).