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Oyster Restoration Workgroup’s Mission
Oysters and oyster reefs once were common along much of the U.S. coastline. The eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, has declined to levels where serious thought is being given to introducing a non-native species, C. ariakensis, in the Chesapeake Bay. The Olympia oyster, Ostreola conchaphila, rarely is harvested today unless under aquaculture. Once valued primarily as a resource, oysters are now recognized as important “ecosystem engineers” in estuaries. Oysters create complex habitats relied on by numerous fish, crustaceans, bivalves, other invertebrates, birds, and mammals. During feeding, oysters also can filter large volumes of water, improving clarity and quality while transferring nutrients from the water column to the sediments. In recognition of the importance of oyster reefs to overall coastal ecosystem functions, large- and small-scale restoration of reef habitats is ongoing in most coastal states. However, consensus on what constitutes a successful reef restoration project currently does not exist.
The most commonly used metric of success has been the presence of market-sized oysters (75 mm or 3”), but in SC oysters >75 mm are <10% of all oysters at most sites. The Oyster Restoration Workgroup and this website were established to address questions of reef restoration success as well as all pertinent issues associated with the restoration of both intertidal and subtidal oyster reefs. Visitors will be able to view findings from past meetings and workshops, as well as details for upcoming events, obtain contact information for professionals and experts working in the field, obtain detailed descriptions of suggested approaches for measuring reef restoration success, and find links to the latest literature. Future additions to the site will depend on the needs of the oyster restoration community.
Shellfish Reefs at Risk: A Global Study
The Nature Conservancy has put together a PDF fact sheet on its project to identify the state, condition, and action needed to conserve shellfish ecosystems.
More information, including a fact sheet and some distribution maps, can be found here.
Download fact sheet (PDF)
Download document (PDF)
The working group has also published a related paper in BioScience (see Beck, M.W., R.D. Brumbaugh, L. Airoldi, A. Carranza, L.D. Coen, C. Crawford, O. Defeo, G.J. Edgar, B. Hancock., M.C. Kay, H.S. Lenihan, M.W. Luckenbach, C.L. Toropova, G. Zhang, and X. Guo, 2011. Oyster reefs at risk and recommendations for conservation, restoration and management. BioScience 61:107–116) with the final analyses and conclusions.
Upcoming Events and Conferences
Coastal Estuarine Research Federation (CERF) Bi-ennial Conference: “Societies, Estuaries and Coasts: Adapting to Change”
Daytona Beach, Florida
November 6-11, 2011
104th National Shellfisheries Association Annual Meeting
Location: Seattle, Washington
Dates: Mar 25, 2012 to Mar 29, 2012
Abstract Deadline: Dec 1, 2011