About Us

Spat-Tech is one of the largest oyster hatchery and setting facilities specializing in oyster reef restoration and development in the world. We spawn the Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) from the wild, fertilizing billions of eggs annually and producing over 1 billion eyed larvae that are set on cultch and grown in our nursery before being released onto reefs identified to be rehabilitated, or to support a newly developed oyster bed.

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About Spat-Tech

Formed in 2017 with the goal of helping save the dwindling oyster population required thinking differently and thinking big. Today, we operate one of the world’s most successful oyster hatcheries.

Our 60,000 square foot facility is one of the largest re-circulating oyster hatcheries in the United States, solely committed to coastal restoration. We are a zero-discharge, environmentally friendly facility housing over 400,000 gallons of artificial saltwater. We grow over 19 different strains of algae in our state-of-the-art facility, allowing us to support every stage of the hatchery process, from spawn to successful set.

Our facility is strategically located 40 miles from the Gulf Coast in Southern Mississippi, providing us protection from tropical storms and hurricanes. Unlike many traditional hatcheries located along coastal communities, we produce our own saltwater which helps us to control and protect the fragile stages of oyster growth and development from oil spills, pollution, fresh-water diversion, and other society induced threats. We work to spawn and grow eyed oyster larvae to set on stones, broken shells, and grit (known as cultch) and strategically deploy them along the Gulf Coast to help rebuild, restore, and redevelop natural oyster beds.

Why Oysters?

Oysters are a keystone species that are vital to oceans worldwide, much like how honeybees are essential to pollination and our food chain.

Oyster reefs provide a hardened defense for our coastlines by absorbing up to 93% of wave energy that causes erosion and land loss. Louisiana loses 80,000 acres of coastal wetland annually and will continue at unprecedented rates.
They are Mother Nature’s “cleaners”, filtering up to 50 gallons of water per oyster per day, essential to clean water and a healthy marine ecosystem.
Oyster reefs regulate atmospheric CO2, reduce levels of nitrogen, and remove harmful bacteria in the water.
Oyster and oyster reefs provide food and sanctuary for thousands of species of marine life
Oysters are a renewable and sustainable agricultural resource providing income to fishing industries worldwide.

Over the past century, hurricanes, oil spills, and climate change are a few factors that have destroyed 85-90% of natural oyster reefs, threatening their ability to survive naturally. Today, SPAT-Tech provides the tools to help repair and rebuild oyster reefs in the wild, that when protected, can provide the dwindling population a chance of resurgence through natural spawning.

SPAT-TECH BY THE NUMBERS in 2022

12 BILLION – Eggs Spawned

1.3 BILLION – Eyed Larvae Harvested and Set on Cultch

3,800 – CUBIC YARDS of Cultch Deployed into the Gulf of Mexico Set with 1.3 Billion Eyed-Larvae