Oyster Reef Restoration and Enhancement program and volunteering to bag oyster shells as part of the Living Shoreline Project

Oyster Reef Restoration and Enhancement program and volunteering to bag oyster shells as part of the Living Shoreline Project

By Bobby Canipe

The DNR has set up a program that is promoting the growth and sustainability of Georgia’s oyster reefs. Having a thriving system of oyster reefs provides many benefits: improved water quality (adult oysters can filter 2 ½ gallons of water per hour); oysters create essential fish habitats, the clumps of oysters provide protection for fry and provides food for fish as well as crustaceans and marsh animals; provide shoreline stabilization by preventing erosion; attracting fish which bring in recreational fishing.

The DNR’s program relies heavily on volunteers to bag oyster shells for the project. What this involves is receiving oyster shell donations from local eateries and other places. Oyster spat (baby oysters) attach more readily to hard substrate with lots of calcium – oyster shells are a perfect substrate for them to attach.

At the DNR, they have large piles of oyster shells that are cured. This allows any oyster remains to be decomposed completely and leaves behind only the shell. Once cured for a few months, the volunteers come in and rake the oyster shells into buckets which are then emptied onto a table that allows more volunteers to scoop them into 3 foot tubes with nets attached to the end. The nets allows for the shells to settle and provide plenty of surface area for spat recruitment. They are made out of polyethylene and remain in the water; oysters eventually cover up all of the net so there is no exposed plastic. Once the tubes are filled, the nets are removed and then packed down and tied. The bagged shell is about 1 foot tall and 1 foot in diameter. Once the bags are ready, they are stored and await transport to a site to encourage spat recruitment.

This linked to our lecture this week by being 100% about conservation, biodiversity, and how man plays a role in species decline. The oyster population needs help due to overharvesting by us, our failure to return used shells back to the natural habitat, shoreline erosion, sedimentation build up, and a disease called “dermo,” which attacks oyster tissue. Without our intervention, the oyster population would surely continue to dwindle down to extinction along our coast. Having oysters in a coastal ecosystem increases the biodiversity of the life found living within it. As stated before, oysters cause other animals to come to the area because they provide food and shelter.

This program is entirely dependant on volunteers in order for it to work. Our Conservation Biology class bagged about half of the pile of cured oyster shells in an hour and a half. The staff at DNR were impressed with how quickly and efficiently we bagged the shell, but when one of us took a break, you could tell how our well-oiled machine slowed down. (Short clip of our "well-oiled machine.")

Remember, bagging made possible by volunteers like you. Contact the GA DNR for more information on how to arrange a shell bagging volunteer day for your organization. http://coastalgadnr.org/cm/wet

From Coastal Conservation Through Service-Learning

Recycle your oyster shells!