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