Oyster restoration project creates new essential habitat in Georgia

By: Karis Manning

Volunteer students from Georgia Southern University assisting Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division workers bag oyster shells. Photo Source: Tyler Jones

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources collaborated with Georgia Southern and Yamaha Rightwaters in its latest oyster reef restoration project.

Associate professor of biology at Georgia Southern, John Carroll, works with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and helped come up with the project to do restoration along the coast and to answer questions surrounding carbon capture.

“I try to answer applied questions, and they do reef restoration,” said Carrol. “I try to do research that helps give them information that might be beneficial for them planning their projects in the future.”

The DNR has expanded their oyster restoration projects across the vast Georgia coast as a way to reinstate oyster populations that have depleted significantly due to habitat loss.

With the research from these projects, Yamaha Rightwaters and Georgia Southern will provide the DNR with data that can determine the carbon burial of newly formed oyster reefs within Georgia.

Oysters play an important role in the ecosystem in the southeast, as they form reef structures that can consist of up to thousands of individual oysters at a time. In their 3 dimensional structure which resembles a solid foam, they create habitats for smaller organisms such as shrimp, fish, crabs and many more. One of the main contributions' oysters bring to the ecosystem is that they filter water. As suspension feeders, they remove particles from the water, and help improve water quality within the structure they form to help protect the shorelines.

Austin Lowery, recent Georgia Southern graduate with a biological sciences degree, has done research on what impact oysters have on the environment and what they do to help other organisms surrounding them.

“These adaptations collectively enable oysters to survive and thrive in a wide range of marine environments, from coastal estuaries to deeper offshore waters,” said Lowery. “Their ability to adapt to various conditions is a testament to their resilience as a species.”

Oysters are bivalve mollusks which means they have 2 shells that they live in that protect them from predators as they get larger. Oysters often exhibit shell coloration and patterns that help them blend in with their surroundings, providing a form of camouflage from potential predators. When exposed to low tide, the shells can close and help maintain their inner-body forms.

Due to being suspension feeders, oysters can extract plankton and organic particles from the water column. They have specialized gills equipped with cilia that move water over their gill filaments. As water passes through, oysters extract nutrients and food particles, effectively filtering the surrounding environment.

While the DNR is working on reef restoration projects, they encourage the public to volunteer with the project, and advocate for responsible coastal development practices that consider the impact on natural habitats.

“A really good thing we can do when eating oysters is by recycling the shell”, said Carroll. “Don’t throw them in the trash, don't use them to make art projects, bring all those shells back to these shell recycling areas, we can put these shells back in the water, and that's the habitat new oysters need to grow.”

Protecting oyster reefs is crucial for maintaining healthy coastal ecosystems. Educating boaters, kayakers, and snorkelers about the importance of avoiding oyster beds to prevent habitat destruction, choosing sustainably sourced seafood from reputable suppliers, and participating in beach cleanups are many other ways the public can make a difference in protecting the oyster reefs.

“Oyster restoration is a critical component of protecting and restoring Georgia’s coastal ecosystems,” Paul Medders, the Coastal Resources Division of Habitat Enhancement and Restoration Unit lead, said to Grice Connect. “This project will help to reestablish oyster reefs in the North Newport River, which will benefit both wildlife and people.”

Since 2019, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division (CRD) has completed six oyster restoration projects, and with the data from the recent restoration project, they hope to gain more information about carbon sequestration of oyster reefs.