DOVER — An application for a commercial license to grow and harvest oyster and clams near the mouth of the Bellamy River near Little Bay has stirred significant opposition, which is unusual in the state’s budding commercial oyster industry.

New England Superior Oyster, a three-person operation, has a pending application with the New Hampshire Fish & Game to obtain a commercial license for a 1.3-acre section of the Bellamy River. The proposed location is just north of the Route 4’s Scammell Bridge and just off the eastern edge of Bellamy’s navigational channel.

It’s the second time the company has sought a commercial a commercial oyster license in the area known as Royalls Cove. In 2016, it requested a license for a 4.5-acre section of the Bellamy on the western side of the navigational channel, just south of Clements Point. That was opposed by a group of nearby residents who argued the site would impede recreational traffic, and diminish their scenic views and property values, among other reasons. Fish & Game denied the application based on the high recreational use of the area.

Last month, Fish & Game held a public hearing on the latest application, though the public comment period remains open until Feb. 1. It too drew opposition from same group of residents who live in a development off Spur Road. Those opposing sides have competing online petitions on Change.org they plan to deliver to the state agency before the comment period closes. The pro farming side has, “Support the health of Great Bay by sharing its use with oyster farmers,” while the opposition has, “Keep commercial farming & finishing of oysters & clams away from resident view & waterways.”

Some members of the opposition, which include those who live nearby on Clearwater Drive like Patricia Perkins and Robert Merwin, cite similar reasons as in 2016: New England Superior Oysters has little oystering experience; the operation will impede recreational traffic and be a safety concern; and it will be visible from residents in Clearwater Drive and those on Scammell Bridge.

They say the farm would be less than 1,000 feet from their community dock, and they also accuse the company, made up of its founder Sheyne Branconnier and investors Troy Payne and Cleo Huggins, who also live nearby, of seeking to capitalize financially on venture through exclusive rights on the river.

New England Superior Oysters agrees it is not journeymen aquaculturists. “We’re learning as we go,” Payne said. The three said they've worked to be responsive to abutters' concerns, such as reducing their desired site size and are no longer using floating gear that will limit when their equipment is exposed. Since they are not in the navigational channel, they say it won’t unnecessarily impede recreational use in the area and is not a safety concern.

Further, they argue their aquaculture farm will help improve the health of the Great Bay estuary, as oysters filter and clean the water that will help regenerate eelgrass in the estuary that has diminished over the years.

Perkins agrees oysters help improve the water and said she and many of her neighbors work with a group at the University of New Hampshire to cultivate oysters on their dock annually and donate to restore the Great Bay reefs. “Why not work in collaboration with UNH in restoring oysters to the beds, and not just cultivating for profit?” she told Seacoast Sunday in an email.

Payne said the commercial model is more sustainable as he expects they can cover their expenses, upkeep their equipment and see a small profit. “We’re not going to get rich doing this,” Payne said.

Robert Eckert, a marine biologist with Fish & Game, said there are currently 63 acres of aquaculture farming on Little Bay at 21 sites, which is an average of three acres each. The maximum allowable size of an aquaculture site is 4.5 acres, he said. The 21 Little Bay sites account for a total of 23 in the state with the two others in Hampton Harbor that are relatively new, Eckert said.

Last year, a total of 329,000 oysters were harvested from the state. However, compared to a single farm in Massachusetts that can harvest a million oysters a year, New Hampshire’s market is small, he said. New England Superior Oyster’s proposed 1.3 acres “won’t be able to harvest too much,” Eckert said.

The Department of Environmental Services determines which and when waterways are suitable for aquaculture and it can shut down areas due to pollution concerns at any time. However, if a waterway is suitable, Fish & Game will make a determination if the location is suitable. That includes scuba diving in the area and inspecting the environment.

If biologists find eelgrass, wild oysters, or if it determines the site would negatively impact the biological community or is in a navigational channel, the application is denied. If it passes that stage, Fish & Game alerts abutters, schedules a public hearing and publishes a legal notice advertising the hearing.

Fish & Game looks at impacts to recreational and commercial usage in the area and can deny or put limitations when approving a license. The criteria also state aquaculture sites can’t impact property values, “but that’s hard to estimate,” Eckert said.

If an application is approved, which is reviewed on a yearly basis, other people can still boat or fish a licensed area. They just can’t disturb or damage the aquaculture operation.

The amount of opposition to New England Superior Oyster’s last two applications “is not common,” Eckert said. Sometimes at public hearings, no one shows up, or if abutters do, “a lot of them are in support,” he said. But because of the high recreational use in the area and concerns of the nearby residents, “We have a lot more people interested in what’s going on,” he said.

When the comment period closes Feb. 1, Fish & Game will evaluate the application and approve, deny or suggest a compromise.