I would like to thank Vince Lehr, fellow club member for providing this account of a recent oyster reef building project our club has taken part in. I would encourage other clubs or groups in the area to consider getting involved in this type of project. The impact could be tremendous for our children and grandchildren that will fish here.
Andy Pickett
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SSWA Partners with DNR to build and oyster reef
On Saturday, July 14th, members of Summerville Saltwater Anglers partnered with SCDNR to build an oyster reef as part of DNR’s S.C.O.R.E. program. They kicked off the day at 8:00 a.m. with a briefing by DNR on the work to be done, the benefits of oyster reefs to the environment, and a Q & A session.
Then the work began! DNR brought a 16’ trailer loaded with bagged oyster shells, along with a truck bed full, that needed to be loaded on to jon boats and taken to the site. It was a pleasant suprise to see that both jon boats for the SCORE program were donated to DNR by CCA, which started the day off in a giving mood. Many hands made light work as men, women, old and young lined up to get the bags from the truck to the boats.
Once loaded, it was time to tow them to their new home in the Ashley River. Five boats carried the work crew and towed the oysters. The shells needed to be placed at low tide, which thankfully was in the morning to avoid the afternoon heat.
Once they arrived at the chosen site, the SSWA crew was lined up once again to unload and place the bagged shells on the bank to create the oyster reef. The shell bags were then anchored and the reef was essentially ready for nature to take over. A total of 4.5 TONS of oyster shells were put in place!
Some interesting facts about the importance of oyster reefs to the ecological system. Each oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day! Oyster reefs are second only to rain forests in their impact to the environment! Within days of building a reef, baby oysters (spat) wil