1. Oyster Restoration and Community Based Efforts
By: TJ Medlock

2. Oysters

3. The Oyster Scientific Name: Crassostrea virginica
Common Names: Eastern oyster, American oyster
Classification:
Kingdom Animalia Phylum Mollusca Class Pelecypoda or Bivalvia Order Lamellibranchia Family Filibranchia Genus Crassostrea species virginica

4. Range habitat "keystone species"
estuaries, sounds, bays, and tidal creeks
brackish water to full strength seawater
withstand wide variations in :
Temperature and salinity
concentrations of suspended sediments
dissolved oxygen
In South Carolina, almost all oysters live in the intertidal zone
submerged by the tide
filter phytoplankton
gentle slopes

5. Life Cycle Reproduction begins May goes through October
water temperatures greater than 68�F
Egg and sperm into water column
Planktonic (free-swimming) trochophore larva
about 6 hours
Fully shelled veliger larva
formed within 12 to 24 hours
remains planktonic for about 3 weeks.
Towards the end of this period it develops a foot (pediveliger)
settles to the bottom of the water column
Seeks adult oyster shell
larva cements itself and metamorphoses to the adult form.
newly attached oyster is "spat“
Fully functional reef
Usually develops in 3 to 5 years

6. Reference – Chesapeake Bay
Oyster population declined to almost 1% of original population
Original pop. Could filter the bay’s 19 trillion gallons in about a week
Current pop. Would take over a year to accomplish same thing

7. Chesapeake Bay – 1yrs worth oysters from single shucking house

8. Why Restoration needed?
Populations are lower now than they were in 1900
If removal of oysters by harvesting is not offset by replanting
resource declines due to reduced sufficient substrate
Currently less than 10% of the oysters harvested in SC are returned to SCDNR for use in habitat restoration
harvest season
SCDNR evaluated status of 22 SSGs
11 had declined in quality
7 improved
4 were unchanged
In order to recover, DNR Shellfish Management closed 16 SSGs for commercial oyster harvesting
Need native oysters to re-colonize
New evidence of foreign oysters causing effects in ecosystems
Diseases
Dermo
MSX

9. Causes of Decline closing of oyster canneries and most shucking houses
shortage of shucked oyster shell needed to cultivate and restore oyster beds
Over harvesting
backyard oyster roasts
by-the-bushel retail sales
Most shucked shells end up in garbage/driveways

10. Causes of Decline Con’t
destruction of habitat
Boat landings
docks
water pollution
negative effects from anthropogenic (man-made) stressors
nonpoint source runoff
wakes from increasing recreational boat traffic
Many other effects related to coastal development.

11. Benefits of Oyster Reefs
Habbitat
Solid structure within the water column for sessile organisms
barnacles and sea anemones
Homes and hiding places
polychaete worms and soft-shell blue crabs
spawning substrate for fishes
gobies, blennies, and skilletfish
Concentrating prey (food) species for larger predator fishes
striped bass
Stabilizing bottom sediments for benthic organisms
trap sediments
Serving as breakwaters to protect adjacent shorelines from erosion
absorb wave energy, reducing erosion of adjacent salt marshes
Protect and promote growth of Spartina marsh grass
By products of oysters benefit hard clams and aquatic plants
Denitrification
Oysters sequester carbon from the water column as they form calcium carbonate shells.
As a carbon sink, oyster reefs potentially reduce concentrations of greenhouse gases
Filtration and clarification of water
Adult oysters filter up to 2.5 gallons of water per hour or up to 50 gallons per day

12. Oyster Reef Ecosystem

13. With and Without

14. Additional Ecosystem Value
oysters can influence water quality by reducing:
phytoplankton biomass, microbial biomass, nutrient loading, and suspended solids
“wastewater treatment facilities”
Promote sedimentation benefiting SAV
Submerged aquatic vegetation
“2O% reduction in total SAV in the Chesapeake Bay results in a loss of I-4 million dollars annually in fishery value”*
improvements in water quality in general are valued by the general public
swimming, boating, sport fishing, etc.

15. Economic Value 2004-05 oyster landings valued at $1,236,242
down from previous season’s $1,321,738
27” spottail

16. Table 15.1 Ecosystem Services that are provided by oyster reef habitat
Ecosystem Service
Benefit/Value
1. Production of oysters
inc. market & recreational value
2. Water filtration & concentration of psuedofeces
dec. suspended solids, turbidity, phytoplankton biomass, & microbial production; & inc. dentrification, SAV, & reacreational use
3. Provision of habitat for epibenthic inverts
inc. biodiversity & productivity
4. Carbon sequestration
dec. greenhouse gas concentrations
5. Augmented fish production
6. Stabilization of adjacent habitats and shoreline
inc. SAV & salt marsh habitat; dec. effects of sea-level rise
7. Diversification of the landscape & ecosystem
inc. synergies among habitats

17. Habits for restoration
Previously degraded sites
Areas of mud flats away from SAV and salt marshes
Augment juvenile fish abundances
potentially increase fish productivity within estuaries

18. Community based oyster restoration
provides tangible ecological benefits
Encourages stewardship
Involves local citizens

19. Contributing companies/organizations to Oyster recycling
Abe’s Oyster House
ACE Basin Field Station
ACE Basin/Donnelly WMA
Augie Hamlin
Beaufort County Department of Public Works
Belle W. Baruch Institute/Hobcaw Barony
Carolina Seafoods, Inc.
Charleston Bay Catering
Charleston County Parks & Recreation
Charleston Outdoor Catering
Charleston Restaurant Association
Coastal Conservation Association
Edisto State Park
Fisher Recycling
Gilligan’s Steamer and Raw Bar
Georgetown County Recreation & Leisure
Kiawah Island Recycling Dept.
Locklear’s Restaurant
Morgan Creek Grill
The Nature Concervancy
Red’s Ice House
Shuckers Raw Bar
South Carolina Parks, Recreation and Tourism
Sticky Fingers Restaurant
Sullivan’s Island Fire Dept.
Tide Water Catering
Town of Mount Pleasant
Town of McClellanville
Town of Port Royal
USFW Bears Bluff Fish Hatchery
USFW Garris Landing Field Station

20. Recycling Centers around SC
Recycling Do's and Don'ts
DO separate shell from trash. Shell mixed with trash is not suitable for recycling. Provide separate containers for shell and trash.
DO dump shells from bags or containers and leave only shells in the bins.
DO bring your shell to the nearest shell recycling center. Maps are provided below. If a center is not shown near you, please call
DON'T put live oysters in South Carolina waters. If the oysters you purchased were harvested outside South Carolina, it is illegal to place them in SC waters. Placing imported oysters in our waters can create environmental problems and may harm local oysters or other animals.
DON'T put freshly shucked oysters shell in SC waters. To avoid contamination, shell should be recycled to DNR and properly quarantined for 6 months.
Myrtle Beach Bin at Shucker’s Raw Bar
Murrells Inlet Bin at Cedar Hill Landing
Murrells Inlet Bin at Garden City Fire Dept
Murrells Inlet Bin at Huntington Beach State Park
Georgetown Bin at Waccamaw River Bridge
McClellanville Bin at The Town Hall
Awendaw Bin at Garris/Moores Boat Landing
Mt. Pleasant Bin on Sweet Grass Basket Pkwy
Mt. Pleasant Bin at Red’s Ice House
Goose Creek Bin at Gilligan’s Restaurant
Ladson Bin at Jessen Boat Landing
West Ashley Bin at Charleston Outdoor
James Isl. Bin at Sol Legare Boat Landing
James Isl. Bin at SCDNR on Ft. Johnson Rd.
Johns Isl. Bin at Gilligan’s Restaurant
Wadmalaw Isl. Bin at Bears Bluff Fish Hatchery
Kiawah Bin at Mingo Point
Edisto Island Bin
Beaufort Bin at Beaufort County Public Works
Port Royal Bin at Sands Beach Boat Landing
Hunting Isl. Bin at Russ Point

21. Group Involvement Opportunities
April 19th, 2011
Riverland Terrace (Plymouth Landing)
JI, Charleston County, SC

22. The Community Can
Bagging
Boating
Planting
Monitoring
and much more

23. Involves community of all ages
Volunteer of the Month
Involves community of all ages
Learning experience
Stewardship
awards
SARP
Southeast Aquatic Resource Partnership

24. Involving local life as best workforce
Learn about nature and established ecosystems
Put economic source up close and personal
Property value
Volunteer opportunities
More involved responsibilities include monitoring/testing/data collection
Establish landscape that community is accustomed to
Charleston Waterfront Park

26. South Carolina Oyster Restoration and Enhancement Sites
Since May 2001, more than 8000 volunteers have used more than 500 tons of shell to build 188 reefs at 35 reef sites along the South Carolina
Murrell’s Inlet
Huntington Beach State Park
Pawley’s Island
McClellanville
Cape Romain
Palmetto County Park
Boone Hall
Kiawah
Rockville
Fort Johnson
Riverland Terrace
Alberta Long
SC Aquarium
Patriots Point
Boy Scout Camp
Beaufort Marine Institute
Edisto
Dataw
Chowan Creek
Port Royal
Callawassie
Waddell Mariculture Center
Trask Boat Landing
Pinckney Refuge
Pinckney Landing
Sites Constructed
South Carolina Oyster Restoration and Enhancement Sites

27. Established SCORE Program
The sites span 200 miles of coastline from Murrell's Inlet to Hilton Head, South Carolina.
All of the reefs were constructed by community volunteers working under the direction of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR).
Accomplishments:
Over 25,000 volunteer hours donated by more than 8,000 individuals
Collected and processed more than 600 reef samples containing more than 300,000 spat in annual reef assessments.
Recycled and bagged over 20,000 bushels of oyster shell
Returned more than 500 tons of oyster shell to the local waters by constructing almost 41,000 square feet of oyster reef footprint (about an acre)
Approximately 25 teams of trained volunteers monitor water quality weekly at most sites
Marsh grass is growing in behind many SCORE reefs!
SCORE received the prestigious Coastal America Partnership Award in 2004.

28. Additional SCORE Goals
Develop a citizen constituency for oysters
“Grass-roots” effort to restore oysters
Increase public awareness of the value of oysters to the ecosystem
Influence public policy to provide greater protection for oyster habitats
Influence lawmakers to provide adequate funding for proper management of oyster resources
Expand the scope of our endeavors by utilizing volunteer labor

29. Private Dock involvment
Relatively new program
Private ownership
Grow oysters for self and community
“fostering”
Grown on personal docks in the creek for spat collection

30. Community Funding
Fishing licenses
Oyster shucking knives
Stickers

31. Sources
Introduction of Non-Native Oysters: Ecosystem Effects and Restoration Implications. Jennifer L. Ruesink, Hunter S. Lenihan, Alan C. Trimble, Kimberly W. Heiman, Fiorenza Micheli, James E. Byers and Matthew C. Kay, Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics. Vol. 36, (2005), pp Annual Reviews.
Hadley, N. H., Hodges, M., Wilber, D. H. and Coen, L. D. (2010), Evaluating Intertidal Oyster Reef Development in South Carolina Using Associated Faunal Indicators. Restoration Ecology, 18: 691–701. doi:  /j X x
Hadley, Nancy, and Michael Hodges. SCORE Home. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, May Web. 17 Apr
Grabowski, Jonathan H., and Charles H. Peterson. "Restoring Oyster Reefs to Recover Ecosystem Services." Ecosystem Engineers (2007): Elsevier, Inc., Web. 17 Apr
Stricklin, Alex G., Mark S. Peterson, John D. Lopez, Christopher A. May, Christina F. Mohrman, and Mark S. Woodrey. Do Small, Patchy, Intertidal Oyster Reefs Reduce Salt Marsh Erosion As Well As Natural Reefs? MS. University of Southern Mississippi. USM Gulf Coast Research Laboratory. Gulf and Caribbean Research, Web. 17 Apr
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