Oyster reef restoration

Oyster reef restoration refers to the reparation and reconstruction of degraded oyster reefs. Environmental changes, modern fishing practices, over harvesting, water pollution, and other factors, have resulted in damage, disease, and ultimately, a large decline in global population and prevalence of oyster habitats. Aside from ecological importance, oyster farming is an important industry in many regions around the world. Both natural and artificial materials have been used in efforts to increase population and regenerate reefs. The first stage in an oyster’s life cycle is the free-swimming larval stage. After about three weeks, the larva attaches to a hard substrate—surface area to attach to—such as prop roots, dock pilings, natural rock, and other oysters becoming an oyster spat—oysters that have just settled to the bottom. A large number of oysters often join together, thus forming an oyster reef (also referred to as oyster bed, oyster mat). Once attached to a surface, oysters will stay there for the remainder of their lives. Oysters are classified to be a part of the Ostreacea family, in the bivalve class and part of the phylum Mollusca. Oysters are shellfish that are born individually but grow up to build reefs. Oysters are born drifting on tides and are free swimming with a vertical mobility, however their locomotion quickly changes when oyster reefs secrete a smell. Baby oysters swim above oyster beds and smell a chemical that is emitted throughout tides and is considered a signal for the oysters to get fixed in one place; sessile. Oyster reefs are formed when individual oysters overlap one another and attached itself to their own kind. Oyster beds provide a number of ecological, economical and recreational benefits to the environment. Oyster beds provide numerous benefits to the ocean life, like supplying habitats for other marine species. Foraged fish, shrimps, crabs, invertebrates and over 300 species live predominantly within oyster beds.