Evaluating Stocking Strategies of Dense Spawning Aggregates
With the support from the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR), this five-year project is focused on testing better options for restoring oyster reefs and rebuilding the Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) populations along Alabama’s coast.
In conjunction with the Mobile Bay Oyster Gardening Program, the project is exploring new and effective ways to grow oysters in dense clusters that can be used to restore habitats and improve ecosystems throughout Mobile Bay and nearby coastal areas.
Currently, oyster growing systems are set up in two key locations: Grand Bay and Fort Morgan, Alabama. At each site, 12 specially designed pilings have been installed to support the suspended oyster growth systems. These systems are designed to allow optimal water flow, to promote healthy oyster development and reproduction.
Monthly sampling at both sites evaluates oyster growth and system performance. This project expands the popular citizen driven oyster gardening programs in Alabama and seeks to increase oyster densities while reducing labor requirements within oyster restoration efforts.
