ecosystem services and benefits of restored oyster reefs...ecosystem services and benefits of...

Ecosystem Services and Benefits of Restored Oyster Reefs

Jennifer Pollack, Ph.D.

Chair of Coastal Conservation and RestorationHarte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, TAMU-CC

Ecosystem engineers

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Oysters are reef buildersCreate habitat 50x greater than bay bottom

10 m2 (~100 ft2) of restored reef can produce: • 11 kg (25 lbs) of stone crab per year• 2.5 kg (5.5 lbs) of oyster toad fish per year

(Williams & Pollack in prep)

Water filtrationOysters are suspension feedersRemove organic and inorganic particles Affect water clarity & nutrient cycling

Nutrients and unfiltered water

Filtered water

1 km2 of oyster reef can remove: • 500 kg N (1100 lb) via denitrification • 250 kg N (550 lb) via burial in sediments

(Beseres Pollack et al. PLOS One 2013)

Shoreline protectionOyster reefs buffer wave energyStabilize adjacent habitatsReduce erosion

https://www.hiltonhead.com/tidal-waters-2/

Shoreline retreat generally reduced by reefs• Can reduce coastal vulnerability• Depends on wave energy, vertical relief

(Piazza et al. 2005, Meyer et al. 2008, Scyphers et al. 2012, Brandon et al. 2016, Polk & Eulie 2018)

Carbon sequestration

Oysters take up CO2

Stored in shells & sedimentsMitigate increases in atmospheric CO2

Atmospheric CO2

Estimates range from net C storage to emissions: • 19,131 g C per m2 (Cerco 2015) • -710 g C per m2 (Fodrie et al. 2017)• Context dependent (depth, salinity, size, location, etc.)

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20%

30%

47%

48%

65%

67%

Oyster reefs = imperiled marine ecosystem= “functionally extinct” in many areas

(Jackson 2008)

91% lost

Slide credit: Brittany Blomberg

Oyster reef restorationFor replacing lost ecosystem benefitsEnhancing populations for commercial harvest Rebuilding lost ecological functions

Reef restoration approaches

Substrate limited Recruitment limited

Seed oysters or spat-on-shellSubstrate replacement

Restoration Suitability IndexImprove return on investment

30+ years of water quality and oyster data (TPWD) Identify the best places for reef

restoration & sustainability

www.OysterRestoration.org (Beseres Pollack et al. PLOS One 2012)

Reef Quality

Restoration Suitability IndexImprove return on investment

30+ years of water quality and oyster data (TPWD) Identify the best places for reef

restoration & sustainability

www.OysterRestoration.org (Beseres Pollack et al. PLOS One 2012)

Oyster recruitment

Restoration Suitability IndexImprove return on investment

30+ years of water quality and oyster data (TPWD) Identify the best places for reef

restoration & sustainability

www.OysterRestoration.org (Beseres Pollack et al. PLOS One 2012)

Restoration suitability index

Over 20 acres restoredAransas Bay8 acresAdjacent to Goose Island State Park

Over 20 acres restoredCopano Bay6 acresAdjacent to Lap Reef

Over 20 acres restoredSt. Charles Bay5 acresAdjacent to Goose Island State Park

TPWD Oyster Restoration

Bay System

Galveston Bay 2009 25 7,142 $539,4362011 177 73,085 $4,329,8932013 30 14,070 $976,4582014 180 72,894 $4,702,5962016 6 5,043 $383,0402017 29 9,670 $821,2802018 5 1,9852019 15 6,125

Matagorda Bay 2018 11 4,6052019 6 2,292

Sabine Lake 2014 23 9,211 $525,000507 206,122 $12,277,703

Acres Cubic YdsYear Totals

Slide courtesy of Emma Clarkson, Texas Parks and Wildlife DepartmentTOTAL

7/17/2020ADD A FOOTER17

2019

2014

2020

Slide courtesy of Julie Sullivan, The Nature Conservancy

Photo courtesy of Mark Dumesnil

Jennifer.pollack@tamucc.edu

Habitat restoration is about more than just habitat