Identifies key environmental conditions affecting Olympia oysters (
Ostrea lurida) in central California. Hard substrate, food, and relatively warm water temperatures were identified as important factors supporting sustainable oyster populations.
In contrast, low salinities and DO, warm air temperatures and abundant predators (e.g, oyster drills) were found to be the most important oyster stressors. The authors used data from 21 study sites in San Francisco Bay and Elkhorn Slough for their analyses. From the Climate Change and Olympia Oysters: San Francisco Bay Subtidal Habitat Goals Project.
Wasson, K., C. Zabin, J. Bible, E. Ceballos, A. Chang, B. Cheng, A. Deck, T. Grosholz, M. Latta, and M. Ferner, 2014. A Guide to Olympia oyster restoration and Conservation: environmental conditions and sites that support sustainable populations in central California, Sept. 2014, San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, 43pp.Overall links to the document and related materialsExecutive SummaryFull Report
This guide is intended to assist natural resource managers and restoration practitioners in making the case for oyster restoration and in setting quantitative objectives for restoring and managing oyster reefs and beds at an estuary or bay-wide scale. Determining the area of oyster restoration required has numerous applications. Ultimately the objective for oyster reef restoration should be considered with ecosystem services to develop an ecosystem-based plan on a system-wide scale.