CBF launches oyster reef ball effort
| Learn more about the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the reef balls in the video above. |
GLOUCESTER POINT, VA – The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) will launch a new aspect of its Virginia native oyster restoration program this week with the construction of concrete reef balls. Dozens of volunteers are expected to lend a hand to produce the first batch of reef balls May 4 – 6 at CBF’s Virginia Oyster Restoration Center on the grounds of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) at Gloucester Point.
After oysters spawn, their larvae must find a solid, stationary surface on which to attach within two weeks or they will not survive. The concrete surface of the reef balls will attract oyster larvae, based on tests done in CBF’s oyster larvae setting tanks at VIMS. CBF’s Maryland Oyster Restoration Center has also used the reef ball technique successfully. “To our knowledge, this is the first time reef balls will be used in Virginia for oyster restoration,” according to a CBF spokesperson. CBF staff and volunteers expect to produce 50 reef balls May 4-6 (200 total over the next several months). The reef balls will then be placed in setting tanks, inundated with oyster larvae, and planted later this summer in the Lafayette River in Norfolk and the Piankatank River in Mathews County, loaded with spat (baby oysters).
The effort is funded by a grant from Restore America’s Estuaries (RAE), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). Partners include: the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC), NOAA, RAE, VIMS, and The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Reef balls are molded from marine safe cement and mimic the structure of natural oyster reefs. The finished product measures 18” tall and 24” wide, with several openings on the surface.
Typically oysters will totally cover reef balls when water conditions are right, and where other brood stock oysters live. Vibrant, fully functioning oyster reefs are expected in less than a year. Oyster reef balls have been used from Florida to Maryland with success, and have the added benefit of providing habitat for fin fish and other aquatic animals.
Although oyster shells are a natural surface for oyster larvae to set upon, shells are not easy to come by, according to Tommy Leggett, CBF Virginia Oyster Restoration and Fisheries Scientist. Although CBF and other partners operate a successful shell recycling program with nearby restaurants and community oyster roasts, there are not enough shells for larger scale oyster restoration projects. “The Chesapeake Bay cannot be restored without oysters,” Leggett said, “We have to use all of the available tools in the tool box, and alternative substrates from reef balls are important tools.”
