Abstract
The massive disruptions to the oyster industry caused by the Covid-19 pandemic creates an opportunity to rethink how oyster habitat can be restored and created. Oyster reef restoration and enhancement projects have focused on replacing or supplementing cultch material in the hopes of gaining a natural spat set. Despite these considerable efforts, oyster reproduction has varied wildly over the last 5 years from Florida to Texas causing nearly catastrophic consequences to the Gulf oyster community. The use of aquaculture as a tool for restoration or enhancement has been limited, with any efforts primarily focused on the use of spat on shell. We seek to determine the ecosystem service benefits provided using large, single oysters, obtained from the private commercial aquaculture sector. The objectives are to: 1. Partner with the Alabama Marine Resources Division and the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources to identify appropriate sites to place oysters. 2. Purchase oysters from farmers in Alabama and Mississippi to provide up to 450,000 3-plus inch farm-raised oysters for enhancement. 3. Monitor the farmed oysters’ growth and survival and the ecosystem services they provide. 4. Conduct stakeholder engagement about the program. Participating oyster farmers are providing oysters to the appropriate state agencies (AL MRD and MS DMR) for deployment at designated sites. Working in cooperation with the state agencies, oysters stocked will be monitored by Auburn University Shellfish Lab (AUSL) personnel to assess oyster growth and survival, natural recruitments, and estimates of associated ecosystem services. In addition to the direct support to oyster farmers during the pandemic by paying a net price of $0.33 per oyster, this project will also provide critical ecosystem services through improved water quality, increased biodiversity, creation of more diverse habitat and cultural services provided by productive oyster reefs.
