ERDC TN-EMRRP-ER-12, Use of Alternative Materials for Oyster Reef Construction

BACKGROUND: Oysters are filter-feeding bivalve molluscs that form cohesive reefs in estuarine and near-coastal waters. In addition to their economic value, oysters can exert a powerful influence on water quality, phytoplankton productivity, and nutrient cycling (Dame 1996; Ulanowicz and Tuttle 1992); they also affect current patterns, flow, and sedimentation rates (Lenihan 1999). Oyster reefs often provide the only hard structure in areas usually dominated by softer sandy and muddy bottoms (McCormick-Ray 1998; Hobbs 1988). In estuaries such as the Chesapeake Bay, reef structure supports many species of fish, such as tautog (Tautoga onitis), black sea bass (Centropristes striata), oyster toadfish (Opsanus tau), naked goby (Gobiosoma boscii), and others. Many other mobile fish and shellfish species, from striped bass (Morone saxatilis) to blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus), use oyster reefs as foraging areas or as a refuge from predation (Posey et al. 1999; Glancy et al. 2003). Oyster reefs have been estimated to be more productive than salt marshes in terms of fish and shellfish biomass produced per acre (Peterson et al. 2003), making them a highly productive habitat of great ecological and commercial value.