As part of its research on cleaning up the waters of Great Bay, UNH is helping to bring back oyster beds that were once devastated by pollution and is supporting a new and growing oyster farming industry in the process.

Here, Brian Gennaco, who started the Virgin Oyster Co. nine years ago, talks with President Dean about the challenges that oyster farmers are overcoming with the help of UNH Sea Grant research and expertise.

“We do a lot of work with UNH in terms of research. It’s very important to us that water quality is good in the bay, because it’s so important to our product,” Gennaco says. Oysters are filter feeders, he adds, noting that each mature oyster can filter up to 50 gallons a day, removing nitrogen, plankton and other threats from the estuary.