Concerns associated with the limited availability of hardscape (relic shell) and difficulty of working in challenging environmental conditions (soft sediment habitat) highlight the pressing need to identify new innovative materials and techniques for conducting oyster habitat restoration in Georgia. Colleagues in North Carolina have developed an alternative biodegradable hardscape broadly used for creating and restoring oyster habitat. This alternative hardscape (hereafter referred to by its trade name Oyster CatcherTM) is a composite of plant fiber cloth infused with mineral-based binders that are wet formed into a wide variety of modular shapes and sizes (Fig. 1). The structures can be used to create the foundation of restored habitat and promote the growth of healthy oyster reefs. Additionally, this material is biodegradable and will fade away over time unlike plastic mesh bags and wooden pallets which remain integrated in the matrix of the oyster reef habitat following restoration. The overarching objective of this project is to evaluate the viability of using Oyster CatcherTM material to successfully restore oyster habitat in Georgia estuaries. The main goals of this study are to: 1) Quantify the trajectory of oyster reef growth and development following construction for traditional (bagged shell) and novel (Oyster CatcherTM) oyster habitat restoration applications; 2) Quantify the response of the nekton community (fish and crustaceans) to reefs constructed using the two restoration applications using traditional sampling techniques along with surveys using an ARIS 3000; 3) evaluate how each restoration application functions at protecting adjacent shoreline habitat (e.g., marsh edge); and 4) provide multiple outreach opportunities to educate the general public on the value of restoring critical estuarine habitats and alternative approaches for accomplishing these initiatives.

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Funding Sources: Georgia DNR Coastal Resources Division: Coastal Incentive Grant Cycle 23

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Collaborators: Matthew Kenworthy*, Dionne Hoskins-Brown, Tom Bliss, John Carroll, Skidaway Islands State Park Management (Sam Cox), GA DNR Coastal Resources Division (Paul Medders and Cameron Brinton). 

     *Project PI