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The oyster reefs are coming back to Manatee River
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A century ago, before over-harvesting wiped out the oyster reefs, the Manatee River was known as the Oyster River.
Now, a project in Manatee County is successfully bringing the oysters back and restoring the aquatic habitat. The project is led by the Palmetto Community Redevelopment Agency and it is an effort to naturally clean the river’s water.
“We want to see a lot more of the fish come back, the crabs, more oysters breeding,” said the Executive Director of the Palmetto Community Redevelopment Agency, Rowena Young.
Oysters naturally work as water filters. They can ingest up to 50 gallons of water per day, depending on their sizes and “pump it out” clean.
The initiative was launched in 2023 and plantation began in 2024. In a grid, 76 reef ball clusters were planted between US41 Green Bridge and the railroad bridge on the north side of Manatee River.
A map of where the reef ball clusters were planted in Manatee River. The red circles represent the eight clusters chosen for monitoring during the oyster restoration project. Courtesy of the Palmetto Community Redevelopment Agency.
What about now?
Two years later, the oysters are breeding tiny spats and water quality testing is underway. The hope is to continue gathering data over the next year about the water filtration capability of oysters depending on their size and seasons.
The biological investigator with the project, Ernesto Lasso de la Vega, says they also aim to gauge how fast the oysters are reproducing and colonizing other areas of the river.
He says the restoration of the oyster reefs have also led to the repopulation of other “filter feeders” like barnacles and tunicates, as well as the presence of the exotic Asian green mussel.
If the project continues to be successful, it could become a model for other counties and cities to follow. Young says in a time of extreme weather, healthy ecosystems and clean water are essential.
“When we have water flooding and those type of things in the area, we want to make sure that it’s not polluted water that is flooding the area,” Young said. “So, people don’t have to worry too much about where the water is coming from and how it will affect them further in their health, because you can always replace a building. [But] it is very difficult to replace your health.”
The project is expected to last five years, meaning the final data and report will come out in late 2028.
The post The oyster reefs are coming back to Manatee River appeared first on WMNF 88.5 FM.
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By Listen:
A century ago, before over-harvesting wiped out the oyster reefs, the Manatee River was known as the Oyster River.
Now, a project in Manatee County is successfully bringing the oysters back and restoring the aquatic habitat. The project is led by the Palmetto Community Redevelopment Agency and it is an effort to naturally clean the river’s water.
“We want to see a lot more of the fish come back, the crabs, more oysters breeding,” said the Executive Director of the Palmetto Community Redevelopment Agency, Rowena Young.
Oysters naturally work as water filters. They can ingest up to 50 gallons of water per day, depending on their sizes and “pump it out” clean.
The initiative was launched in 2023 and plantation began in 2024. In a grid, 76 reef ball clusters were planted between US41 Green Bridge and the railroad bridge on the north side of Manatee River.
A map of where the reef ball clusters were planted in Manatee River. The red circles represent the eight clusters chosen for monitoring during the oyster restoration project. Courtesy of the Palmetto Community Redevelopment Agency.
What about now?
Two years later, the oysters are breeding tiny spats and water quality testing is underway. The hope is to continue gathering data over the next year about the water filtration capability of oysters depending on their size and seasons.
The biological investigator with the project, Ernesto Lasso de la Vega, says they also aim to gauge how fast the oysters are reproducing and colonizing other areas of the river.
He says the restoration of the oyster reefs have also led to the repopulation of other “filter feeders” like barnacles and tunicates, as well as the presence of the exotic Asian green mussel.
If the project continues to be successful, it could become a model for other counties and cities to follow. Young says in a time of extreme weather, healthy ecosystems and clean water are essential.
“When we have water flooding and those type of things in the area, we want to make sure that it’s not polluted water that is flooding the area,” Young said. “So, people don’t have to worry too much about where the water is coming from and how it will affect them further in their health, because you can always replace a building. [But] it is very difficult to replace your health.”
The project is expected to last five years, meaning the final data and report will come out in late 2028.
The post The oyster reefs are coming back to Manatee River appeared first on WMNF 88.5 FM.