From shell to sanctuary: Oyster reef comes back to life

SANIBEL, Fla. (WINK)—One year after a major oyster restoration project near the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River, scientists are seeing encouraging signs that the reef is coming back to life.

The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, or SCCF, restored the reef near Glover Bight last May by placing 6 million pounds of fossilized shell in the water. The project helped rebuild a reef nearly the size of three football fields.

Now, researchers say new oysters and other marine life are taking hold.

“We've seen amazing recruitment of live oysters and other animals,” said Dr. Eric Milbrandt with SCCF. “There are many, many crabs here. The density of oysters is around 800 to 1,000 oysters per square meter.”

The new growth is particularly encouraging because oyster reefs have suffered major losses throughout the Caloosahatchee Estuary.

“We've lost approximately 95% of our oyster reefs,” Milbrandt said. “A lot of that has been because of road construction and fill. They were mined heavily before the areas were protected back in the 40s to 60s.”

Oyster reefs provide important habitat for marine life and can also help improve water quality. Each individual oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day.

“We can never solve our water quality problems with just oyster reefs, but it is one thing that will help,” Milbrandt said.

The first year of restoration has not been without challenges. A lack of rainfall led to higher-than-desired salinity levels in the estuary.

“That little bit of fresh water during the dry period is incredibly important in terms of the production of oysters and the food supply,” Milbrandt said. “It’s also important in terms of feeding forage fish and things that the larger fish eat.”

Despite those challenges, SCCF says the reef's first-year results show the potential for restoring additional oyster habitat across the region.

“The resulting recruitment of new oysters and life onto the reef is very encouraging,” Milbrandt said. “It means that there's a lot of potential to restore other reefs in the region, so we should keep at it.”

SCCF is already looking ahead. The organization has an additional 20 acres permitted for oyster reef restoration and is seeking funding to expand its efforts.

“We do have other sites that we are looking for funding to be able to restore, and we're also going through another round of permitting to be able to expand this effort,” Milbrandt said.

For SCCF, the rapid return of oysters and other marine life is an encouraging sign that rebuilding these lost habitats can help strengthen the health of the Caloosahatchee Estuary.