STRATFORD, Conn. (WTIC Radio)—Connecticut is implementing new policies that aim to promote the growth of the state's shellfish industry.
By the shore of the Long Island Sound, Governor Ned Lamont signed a bill that supports the industry by increasing the populations of oysters along Connecticut's shorelines and by protecting the industry's sustainability.
Through the legislation, Public Act 490 protections are extended to include aquaculture operations. The protections allow landowners to classify their qualified lands as farms so they are subject to reduced property tax rates.
This move provides financial relief and equity in taxation for aquaculture farmers across Connecticut, Connecticut Farm Bureau President Paul Larson and Executive Director Joan Nichols said in a statement.
The legislation also allows for more flexibility in the management of the natural oyster beds in Long Island Sound to ensure that oysters will be available for Connecticut's future generations.
Along with those policies, the Connecticut Seafood Council will be expanded with new membership, officials said.
"This law ensures that the future for the industry is prosperous and encompassing of all the types of aquaculture industry in our state, including seaweed and indoor production," State Agriculture Commission Bryan Hurlburt said.
According to state officials, Connecticut's shellfish industry generates more than $30 million in annual sales with more than 70,000 acres of shellfish farms under cultivation in the state.