I put together this video of SSWA’s latest oyster reef building event to show what it’s all about. I’d encourage any groups out there looking to do some community service to contact SCDNR’s SCORE team to get involved. It’s a small amount of effort to make to give back to our marine ecosystem that we all enjoy so much. And it’s fun, and a great family activity for people of all ages.
That’s a really cool project. Growing up on the same creeks we oystered, it was always the norm for us to put back what we took. Even doing so without those net bag things (great idea!) you could build a bank back up in a few years. Was really cool to watch it happen.
I know they have been doing this in Winyah Bay as well. I would love to get in on it. Oyster beds greatly enhance fishing habitat, and water quality. As far as people running into them all I can say is beware. Oyster beds are everywhere around cape Romain and knowledgeable people seem to be able to steer clear of them.
Does anyone have any pictures where this is working? I see a lot of these oysters in net bags all over the place, but I have yet to see one where any other oysters came and rooted on top of them. I TOTALLY believe in rebuilding oyster beds. My question is, “Is it working?”
Does anyone have any pictures where this is working? I see a lot of these oysters in net bags all over the place, but I have yet to see one where any other oysters came and rooted on top of them. I TOTALLY believe in rebuilding oyster beds. My question is, “Is it working?”
There’s some shots of it in that video he posted…stuff they did years ago.
Does anyone have any pictures where this is working? I see a lot of these oysters in net bags all over the place, but I have yet to see one where any other oysters came and rooted on top of them. I TOTALLY believe in rebuilding oyster beds. My question is, “Is it working?”
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Yes it works, any hard substrate works to hold oysters on a mud bank. We re plant or Oyster shell on lease grounds, I prefer planting bamboo stakes in the mud. These seem to grow oysters much faster. Bamboo is free for the taking all over the Lowcountry. Cut the stakes off in 4 foot lengths and drive them 2.5 to 3 feet into the mud about 12 inches to 20 inches apart in grid patterns. This makes great oyster beds as well as excellent spots to fish at high tide.
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PROUD YANKEE
Oyster Baron
NMFS = No More Fishing Season
“Back home we got a taxidermy man. He gonna have a heart attack when he see what I brung him”
My daughter attends a local environmental charter school and every year the kids make the oyster bags and go out and rebuild beds. It is fantastic because they get to see their hard work pay off and never forget the lesson plan. They also have the kids plant new spartina grass for marsh restoration and erosion control. I see new growth every year as I scoot through the creeks.
skinneej I guess you didn’t watch the video or watch it to the end. The lower Ashley where we are planting has poor recruitment, and DNR is not really sure why, but if you look at the 4 yr old planting it has several years of growth on top of it. If you fell in it you’d be tore up bad! The last shot is a cluster growing on the rebar that is holding the bags in place. Like Sells said, the oysters love that rebar, I wish we could build the reef out of nothing but rebar it would be crazy good.
Worked on and then ran the Oyster Relay Program for DNR 20+ years ago. Placing some kind of hard substrate for oyster spat to set on is common and effective practice. The substrate can be nearly anything. It’s been a while, but, IIRC the commercial leases used to require a certain amount of shell returned to the creeks or alternative substrate placed.
That having been said, site selection can be a little tricky. Oysters need some turbidity, but, not to much. Further, when you ‘plant’ a previously clean bank, you reduce the velocity of the water flowing over the bank. When that happens, the water drops some of whatever it is carrying (silt and such). This can bury the substrate you just placed. So, finding the ideal mix of turbidity and flow is more of an art than a science. Each planting area will have different success depending on such factors. But, generally, planting shell works very well.
17’ Henry O Hornet w/ Johnson 88 spl
26’ Palmer Scott project hull
14’ Bentz-Craft w/ Yamaha 25
Thanks PalmerScott - We have seen that in even the stretch we are planting. Some years have done better than others, but they are all growing and over time will fill in nicely I think
skinneej I guess you didn’t watch the video or watch it to the end. The lower Ashley where we are planting has poor recruitment, and DNR is not really sure why, but if you look at the 4 yr old planting it has several years of growth on top of it. If you fell in it you’d be tore up bad! The last shot is a cluster growing on the rebar that is holding the bags in place. Like Sells said, the oysters love that rebar, I wish we could build the reef out of nothing but rebar it would be crazy good.
You are correct. Sorry, I thought that was just a link to your reports page in your signature. I didn't see the "Video here:" part... My bad...
Yes, lower Ashley and around the aquarium is where I look pretty regularly. Doesn’t seem like much is going on there. It is possible that there is growth on them and I’m just too far away to see as well.
That’s good to hear. Like I said before. I’m not criticizing the program, just curious as to what the results have been.
Also, can people do this on their own, or is only SCDNR allowed to do this?
skinnee the site we are working on has a lot of loose shell on the bank already and it seems that boat wakes tend to wash the loose shell over the bags leaving less “roughed up” stuff for the spat to land on. I think once they get rolling they do pretty well. But the oysters on our reef are pretty small, only about 1 - 2", not big blades. IDK why. DNR said that other areas have much better recruitment. But, we are trying to improve the Ashley so we will continue to try.
The folks at DNR said something about a program aimed at allowing property owners to start to do this on their property. I don’t know any details.
Try the bamboo stake method. After years of planting stakes on culture leases it works! If I run out on Folly this weekend I’ll take pictures of some of the areas that we have planted three years ago
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PROUD YANKEE
Oyster Baron
NMFS = No More Fishing Season
“Back home we got a taxidermy man. He gonna have a heart attack when he see what I brung him”
I’m interested to see what 3 years growth looks like. People that work in an industry see something that others may not. The biology of an oyster bar is pretty amazing. I’ve spent some time looking at them…not always my choice.
I’m interested to see what 3 years growth looks like. People that work in an industry see something that others may not. The biology of an oyster bar is pretty amazing. I’ve spent some time looking at them…not always my choice.
That’s funny, but I would imagine most everyone on this site has been stuck on one at least once in their boating times.
Sells, the bamboo doesn’t rot and break off? Sounds like a easy way to go. My Inlaws have just got a nice oyster bed building over the last 3 years by their dock in Beaufort. The fishing has become 100% better. Anything to help our waterways!
would have loved to travel our creeks 200 years ago.
“If Bruce Jenner can keep his wiener and be called a woman, I can keep my firearms and be considered disarmed.”