The Pickett/ Pitt Street Bridge Oyster Reef brought to you by SCDNR, SPA, Moultrie Middle School, and the Town We put out about 220 bags of recycled oyster shells. Each bag should grow about 400 new oysters in the first year = 88,000 new oysters to help filter water along our coast. Each oyster filters about 4 gallons of water per hour. So each oyster in the new reef would be working to filter 8,448,000 gallons of water in our harbor per day! These reefs are not for harvesting but to help protect our coast and the marine estuaries. These marshes are where that our fish, shrimp, and crab populations live. They need to have this habitat protected and replenished to survive. Having productive estuaries (marshes) is critical for our commercial and recreational fishermen so that we can enjoy local sustainable seafood – and have clean water for recreation all of which is important for the local economy! The oyster reefs don’t just grow oysters but they also provide critical habitat for about 18 species of marine life and the reefs also help to protect our shoreline from erosion. The project also included planting of Spartina grass that was grown by the Moultrie Middle School students through the Seeds to Shoreline program. The Spartina plants are a critical part of the marsh estuary and help protect our coast from erosion.
Posted on: Thu, 01 May 2014 14:14:23 +0000
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