NOAA Restoration Center Restoration Program (CRP) U.S. West Coast Native Oyster Restoration (Ostreola conchaphila): 2006 Workshop Summary Summer Morlock, Natalie Cosentino-Manning, Polly Hicks – NOAA Restoration Center summer.morlock@noaa.gov Image: Couch and Hassler, 1989 Introduction During September 2006, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Restoration Center and partners hosted the first west coast-wide workshop on Olympia oyster restoration (Ostreola conchaphila, formerly Ostrea lurida) in San Rafael, California. Over 70 individuals from the west and east coast, representing NGOs, academics, industry, agencies, and tribes participated in this workshop. Our goals were to: 1) Share the current state of knowledge regarding native oyster restoration 2) Bring together the best available science and identify research needs that will help to guide future restoration efforts 3) Develop guidelines and methods for future oyster restoration and research Leading experts presented information on: Olympia oyster distribution Biology, genetics, and dispersal Limitations to restoration and recovery Ecological interactions – ecosystem services Restoration: past, present and future Permitting The community’s role in restoration Short-term and long-term goals and priorities This presentation will focus on workshop results including restoration recommendations, research priorities, and next steps. Background Olympia oysters, the only oyster native to the west coast of North America, were once an important commercial commodity and contributor to estuarine health and species diversity. However, over-harvesting, habitat loss, pollution, predators, and disease have caused populations to significantly decline. Today small remnant populations of Olympia oyster are scattered along the west coast. Over the last ten years interest in restoring Olympia oyster populations and their ecological functions has increased. Local organizations have joined with the shellfish industry, universities, tribes, and state and federal agencies to conduct pilot restoration projects from Washington to California to test various techniques. The NOAA Restoration Center’s Community-based Restoration Program has provided nearly $1,000,000 to implement oyster restoration projects. Data gathered from projects have demonstrated that reseeding efforts and substrate enhancement can be successful; however, there is still much to learn about the Olympia oyster and its recovery before restoration can move from the small to the large scale. Research Need Highlights Historic and current distribution and geographic specifics (especially little known about subtidal populations) Reproductive cycles, larval transport and environment Differential settlement (population, geography, seasons, years) Habitat studies (loose shell, old v. new, concrete) Environmental/ecosystem impacts (sedimentation, salinity, etc.) Growth rates/survival Genetics (locally adapted versus genetically unhealthy; adaptation to past/current v. future environment) Predation, competition, disease, parasites Ecosystem function/services (and economic benefits!) Technique development (materials, size, shape, etc.) The Future Workshop proceedings Follow-up workshops Working groups “State of the Practice” document Standardized monitoring protocols and metrics Coast-wide spatfall monitoring Parallel studies in each state/region Standardized protocols for use of oyster shell Restoration/Research Recommendation Highlights Develop explicit goals and appropriate metrics for assessment View restoration as experiments, explore basic biology and limiting factors Ecological studies on population bottlenecks Monitor current populations Protect productive areas Habitat enhancement (natural recruitment) Id potential sites – high recruitment, low predation, etc. Consider using native shell, or materials that will biodegrade quickly Genetics/hatchery supplementation – some very cautionary Conservative approach – lacking genetic info Use local populations; minimize changes to allele frequency; maximize genetic diversity (large # of parents, unrelated parents, balance contribution of parents) Build constituencies!! Oyster restoration makes a good story Reach out to broad community – tideland owners, growers, tribes, agencies, volunteer organizations, watershed groups, funders, media; create opportunities to engage and educate NOAA Restoration Center Community-based Restoration Program (CRP) Fosters community support through hands-on citizen involvement in fishery habitat restoration projects (e.g., wetlands, seagrass beds, dam removal, coral reefs, oyster reefs etc.) Creates partnerships with local constituencies Leverages technical expertise and funds Instills stewardship and conservation values Over 1450 projects funded since 1996 “Celebrating 10 years of coastal restoration” Acknowledgements Thanks to the enthusiastic participation and support of the attendees and funders of the 2006 West Coast Native Oyster Workshop. The contents of this poster are generally derived from workshop presenters/participants. Thanks also to the NOAA Restoration Center for their support to present at this conference.