Oyster garden after seven months of deployment (left panel). The cage in the image contains a mix of Sydney Rock Oysters (Saccostrea glomerata), Leaf Oysters (Isognomon ephippium) and Hairy Mussels (Trichomya hirsuta). Top right: Marble Fortescue (Centropogon marmoratus) one of the most common fish found in association with the oyster gardens. Middle right: The Oyster Goby (Omobranchus anolius), made up 80% of the total abundance of fish in oyster gardens. Bottom right: Oyster gardens also supported a diverse range of invertebrates, like this sea urchin. Credit: Ecological Management & Restoration (2023). DOI: 10.1111/emr.12565
Australia’s first “oyster gardening” project has shown the practice benefits the environment and could be an easy way for citizen scientists to improve marine environments.
Dr. Lisa Boström-Einarsson is an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at James Cook University. She said oyster gardening is a community-driven activity where oysters are grown in cages hanging off docks, pontoons or other coastal infrastructure.
“Oyster reefs are severely threatened, with over 85% of reefs lost globally. In Australia, we’ve seen a loss of 90% of the two primary reef building species—the Sydney rock oyster and the Australian flat oyster,” said Dr. Boström-Einarsson .
She said oyster gardening could provide adult oysters for restoration programs, supply habitat for fishes and invertebrates, and improve local water clarity and nutrient cycling.
“We gave 30 households in the canal estate on Bribie Island in Moreton Bay two types of oyster gardens (small plastic mesh cages) each. These were deployed off their floating pontoons. One of the cages contained Sydney rock oysters only and one contained a mixture of Sydney rock oysters, leaf oysters and hairy mussels,”…
2023-02-10 10:33:03 Citizen scientists tend oyster gardens
Source from phys.org
Citizen science projects have been gaining in popularity in recent years, as more and more people become eager to get involved in scientific research. One of the latest projects to take off is the Oyster Gardening initiative, which allows citizens to help wild oyster populations recover by creating and managing their own oyster gardens.
Oyster Gardening is a form of aquaculture, which is the controlled raising of aquatic organisms for food or for other purposes such as restoration. Oyster gardens are essentially home-based nurseries that consist of mesh bags full of oyster shells and a mesh bed to support the oysters. The bags are filled with oyster larvae and then placed in the water. The citizen scientists will then take on the responsibility of monitoring the oyster gardens, checking on the water quality, and providing food and habitat for the growing oysters.
These oyster gardens can be set up in any saltwater location such as a dock, shoreline, or even in a backyard pond. By providing a safe and secure habitat, the oysters are able to form reefs and begin to reproduce, leading to a population boom. Oyster reefs provide a habitat for a variety of aquatic creatures, improve water quality, and reduce wave energy – making them a valuable asset to both land and sea animals.
Oyster Gardening programs are becoming widely available across the United States and the world, making it easy for concerned citizens to get involved. The Oyster Recovery Partnership (ORP) is one such organization that participates in these programs. ORP has placed over 5 million oyster spat (baby oysters) in the Chesapeake Bay since 2011, with the help and guidance of oyster gardeners.
Citizen science projects like Oyster Gardening are essential for protecting fragile ecosystems and helping to repair the damage done by human activity. By participating in these projects, citizens can have a direct and positive impact on their local environment, while also helping to advance scientific research.