Alabama Oyster Reef Restoration: Larval Recruitment in Mobile Bay (2006-2007)

In addition to the multimillion dollar US fishery they support, oyster reefs are a critical component of healthy estuaries fulfilling several key ecological functions. Their unique role as both an exploitable fishery and an essential habitat provides a challenge to conservation and management. Oyster reefs provide habitat for finfish & shellfish. They also stabilize shorelines and remove suspended solids and phytoplankton from the water column. Many commercially important fisheries species are enhanced by the presence of oyster reefs. Their unique role as both an exploitable fishery and an essential habitat provides a challenge to conservation and management of oyster reefs. In 2002, the University of South Alabama initiated a multi-disciplinary, multi-year program to enhance and restore oyster habitat in Alabama coastal waters. The Alabama Oyster Reef Restoration Program, funded by the National Marine Fisheries Service through congressional appropriation in 2002 and 2003, is designed to build upon previous and current oyster reef restoration/enhancement efforts within the State of Alabama. Although some areas of Mobile Bay (e.g., Cedar Point) still support oyster reefs of varying sizes, from a few square meters to tens of acres, overall coverage of oyster reefs in Mobile Bay has decreased over the last century. Numerous factors, many of which are of anthropogenic origin (e.g., destructive harvesting practices, poor water quality, and shrimp trawling), have contributed to this decline. As a result of these and other stressors, many historically productive areas for oysters (e.g., Bon Secour, Fish River) currently have few live oyster reefs present.