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The Piankatank River: Oyster Restoration for Nature and People

Andy LacatellVirginia Chesapeake Bay Director

The Nature Conservancy

Herodian Stones

Thomas Downing, Oyster King of New York

Piankatank Oyster Restoration– What’s the Problem?

Overharvesting – Loss of Habitat – Disease – Poor Water Quality

Schulte DM (2017) Front. Mar. Sci. 4:127

Schulte DM (2017) Front. Mar. Sci. 4:127

Add Picture of Lower Piankatank River

The Piankatank“The Winding River”

Insert Dragon Run Land protection map

VIMS RECRUITMENT

Why the Piankatank?

Bland Point Reef(1 acre, 2005)

2017

2014

2015

Piankatank Reefs Constructed (2014-2018)Reef Name (Year) AC (HA) Depth Substrate Volume Avg Ht CostFishing Point (‘14) 21.5 (8.6) 4’-14’ Crushed Concrete (2”-6”) 9,000 tons 6”-12” $500,000Iron Point (‘15) 3.5 (1.4) 4’-14’ 90% Granite/10% Concrete 3,500 tons 6”-12” (part of above)Burton Point (‘17) 25.0 (10.1) 10’-16’ Crushed Granite (8”-14”) 24,500 tons 12”-18” $2,083,0004 Sites (‘18) 15.0 (7) 6’-10’ Crushed Granite (2”) 3,7500 tons 3” $200,000

2014, 20152017

2015

Piankatank River

Employed the use of “Clamvision” for tracking placement by the contractor.

“Granny Smith Apple” is a juvenile, Kemp’s ridley sea turtle that was incidentally caught off Buckroe Fishing Pier by a recreational fisherman on May 2nd, 2017. Initially, the turtle had the hook in its mouth, but while being lifted by a net onto the pier, the turtle spit the hook out and the hook became lodged in the turtle’s left front flipper. The Virginia Aquarium Stranding Response staff admitted “Granny” to the Marine Animal Care Center and were able to remove the hook from the left front flipper without complication…“Granny Smith Apple” is outfitted with a satellite tag and was released from 47th Street at the oceanfront in Virginia Beach, VA on May 5th, 2017.

Virginia Beach

Piankatank Reef Project

Forage fishes schooling

• 2513 fish caught in 84 gill net sets• 31 fish species, 24 families

• Richness– Reef = 23 (7 unique)– Off-reef = 20 (4 unique)– Outside = 16 (1 unique)

Fish Utilization of Restored Reefs

Overarching GoalsPiankatank: 428 AC

currently 253 AC meet metrics

Sustainable Reef Self-sustaining Population

Restored Tributary

Restored Chesapeake Bay