Abstract
Project Oyster Pensacola is a partnership between the Bream Fishermen Association (BFA), a volunteer monitoring and citizen engagement organization, and the Pensacola Bay Oyster Company. Project goals were to engage citizens to learn about water quality and how oysters improve water quality, as well as encourage citizens to consider ways they can improve water quality. Interested citizens, schools, and organizations participated in the project to deploy cages with 75 triploid oysters at various locations throughout Pensacola and Perdido Bay systems. Cages were deployed at 25 locations. BFA members and citizen volunteers monitored water quality, oyster survival and growth approximately every 4 months. After 14 months of deployment, oyster survival and growth were again measured, along with recruitment of fish and invertebrates. Salinity over the study period ranged from 1 to 29 with the lowest salinities in Perdido and Blackwater Bays and the highest salinity in Big Lagoon. Dissolved oxygen concentrations in surface waters averaged 91% saturation and were generally higher in winter than summer of fall. Salinity and dissolved oxygen were positively correlated. Oyster mortality was highest at sites with low salinity, particularly those less than 5. Oyster growth rates were positively correlated with salinity and dissolved oxygen. Recruitment of wild oysters at sites was highest above 20 PSU. Diverse fish and invertebrate communities were associated with cages. Blennies were the most common fish taxa. Crustaceans were dominated by amphipods and barnacles, while mussels were the most abundant mollusk. Oyster drills were only found at high salinity locations along with other marine species such as soft corals, tunicates, sponges and anemones. At sites with the average salinity greater than 20 PSU, the community composition was significantly different than sites between 10 and 20 PSU. These results may be helpful in guiding future oyster restoration efforts in the region.
