ALABAMA OYSTER REEF RESTORATION PROGRAM

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ALABAMA OYSTER REEF RESTORATION PROGRAM

• Sean Powers, Robert Shipp Ken Heck
• Department of Marine Sciences
• University of South Alabama
• Dauphin Island Se Lab

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USA OYSTER REEF PROGRAM

• to develop the scientific understanding necessary
  to direct oyster restoration and enhancement in
  Alabama coastal waters.
• to assist in the development of a long-term
  strategy for sustained productivity of Alabamas
  oyster resources and the associated ecological
  benefits that accrue from healthy oyster-based
  habitat.
• to provide this information to state and federal
  management agencies, the fishing industry and the
  general public through outreach activities.

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Alabama Oyster Habitat (1972)
Live oyster reef
Buried oyster shell deposits
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Program Components
Reef Creation/ Enhancement
Targeted Research Projects
Ecological benefits
Education/ Outreach
Fisheries benefits
Design criteria/ site selection
Oyster biology
Environmental studies
Socioeconomic studies
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Organization/oversight
National Marine
National Marine
National Marine
National Marine
Fisheries Service
Fisheries Service
Fisheries Service
Fisheries Service
Fiscal Oversight
Fiscal Oversight
Fiscal Oversight
Fiscal Oversight
Fiscal Oversight
Fiscal Oversight
Fiscal Oversight
Fiscal Oversight
University of South
University of South
University of South
University of South
Alabama
Alabama
Alabama
Alabama
Program Director
Program Director
Program Director
Program Director
Program Director
Program Director
Program Director
Program Director
(Dr. Robert Shipp)
(Dr. Robert Shipp)
(Dr. Robert Shipp)
(Dr. Robert Shipp)
(Dr. Robert Shipp)
(Dr. Robert Shipp)
(Dr. Robert Shipp)
(Dr. Robert Shipp)
Scientific
Scientific
Scientific
Scientific
Scientific
Scientific
Scientific
Scientific
Advisory Panel
Advisory Panel
Advisory Panel
Advisory Panel
Advisory Panel
Advisory Panel
Advisory Panel
Advisory Panel
Oyster Reef
Oyster Reef
Oyster Reef
Oyster Reef
Fisheries Habitat
Fisheries Habitat
Fisheries Habitat
Fisheries Habitat
Fisheries Habitat
Fisheries Habitat
Fisheries Habitat
Fisheries Habitat
Program
Program
Program
Program
(Dr. Robert Shipp)
(Dr. Ken Heck)
(Dr. Robert Shipp)
(Dr. Ken Heck)
(Dr. Sean Powers)
(Dr. Sean Powers)
(Dr. Sean Powers)
(Dr. Sean Powers)
Principal
Principal
Principal
Principal
Principal
Principal
Principal
Principal
Investigators
Investigators
Investigators
Investigators
Investigators
Investigators
Investigators
Investigators
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Overview

• Reef Creation
• Targeted Research Projects
• Outreach

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Reef Creation
Powers Heck Mobile Bay
Heck Powers Breakwater
Heck et al. Ecosystem
AL MRD Perdido
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(No Transcript)
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Reef Elevation
2.5 m
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Mobile Bay Results June 2006
140
140
120
120
2
2
100
100
80
80
Live Oysters / m
Live Oysters / m
60
60
40
40
20
20
0
0
Cedar Point Reef
Sand Reef
Shellbank Reef
70
70
160
160
60
60
140
140
2
2
50
50
120
2
120
2
100
100
40
40
Dead Spat / m
80
Live Spat / m
80
Live Spat / m
30
30
60
60
20
20
40
40
10
10
20
20
0
0
0
0
Cedar Point Reef
Sand Reef
Shellbank Reef
Cedar Point Reef
Sand Reef
Shellbank Reef
Site
Site
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High vs. Low relief
120
120
100
100
2
2
80
80
60
60
Live Spat / m
40
40
20
20
0
0
Low
High
Low
High
Reef Height
Reef Height
No effect of vertical relief on average size or
total oysters
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Reef Creation
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N 3
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(No Transcript)
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Enhancement through Facilitation
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Oyster Breakwater Site 1
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Oyster Breakwater
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(No Transcript)
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Oyster Breakwater Site 2
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Targeted Projects Ecological Benefits

• Heck, Cebrian, Powers - Ecosystem services
  provided by oyster reefs An experimental
  assessment. Completed
• Kelly Major - Indicators of oyster reef
  functioning Benthic algal community composition
  and productivity. Completed
• Heck Powers. Restoring Estuarine Landscapes in
  Alabama Coastal Waters Through Creation of Oyster
  Reefs

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Targeted Projects Fisheries Benefits

• Powers Heck - Quantifying fisheries benefits of
  oyster reef restoration in Mobile Bay.
  Completed
• Aronson - Influences of reef surface
  characteristics on recruitment, survival and
  production of the eastern oyster Crassostrea
  virginica. Completed
• Park, Kim, Powers. Oyster Larval Transport in
  Mobile Bay and Adjacent Eastern Mississippi
  Sound Modeling Study and Field Observation .

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Targeted Projects Oyster Biology

• Boettcher - Environmental impacts on oyster
  larvae and spat Use of heat shock proteins.
  Completed
• Brockhouse - The genetic identity of oysters in
  the Alabama Oyster Reef Restoration Program.
  Completed
• Wallace Powers. The role of Perkinsus marinus
  infection in oyster reef restoration
• Graham Bayha. Development of a Molecular
  Genetic Method to Detect and Quantify Crassostrea
  virginica veliger larvae

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Targeted Projects Environmental Studies

• Park, Schroeder, Chen Development of a
  three-dimensional Hydrodynamic model for Mobile
  Bay. Completed
• MacIntyre. Harmful Algal Blooms and Oyster
  Restoration in Mobile Bay

Mobile Bay, AL model grid
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Targeted Projects Environmental Studies

• Coastal water quality/ meteorological mooring at
  Middle Bay Light (in cooperation with the Mobile
  Bay National Estuary Program and the Dauphin
  Island Sea Lab).
• Misra Park. Relationship between Fecal Coliform
  Bacteria and Environmental Conditions in the
  Context of Oyster Harvesting in Alabama Coastal
  Waters

circa 1885
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Socioeconomic

• Picou - Maintaining a balance between
  sustainability and harvesting practices a
  socioeconomic characterization. Completed

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Targeted Research Oyster Recruitment(Powers,
Park, Graham)

• Survey 18 sites throughout Mobile Bay every three
  weeks for oyster settlement.
• Jan 2006 Dec 2007
• Synoptic measurements of larval supply

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Spat Recruitment Methods
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Predation Oyster Drills
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Max (log10_/m2/day)
AVG (Max(TOP) Max(BOT))
CR11
CR12
CR13
CR14
CR15
CR16
CR17
CR18
CR19
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CR11
CR12
CR13
Spat/m2/day
Larvae/1000L 30-100 µ
Larvae/1000L 100-500 µ
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CR15
CR16
CR14
Spat/m2/day
Larvae/1000L 30-100 µ
Larvae/1000L 100-500 µ
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Publication plans

• Individual Pi encouraged to submit papers (2 have
  been submitted thus far)
• Dedicated theme section in Journal of Shellfish
  Research
• Overall synthesis paper with oyster restoration
  plan for Alabama coastal waters (Powers Shipp)

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ALABAMA OYSTER REEF FISHERIES ENHANCEMENT
PROGRAM

• Sean Powers, Robert Shipp Ken Heck
• Department of Marine Sciences
• University of South Alabama
• Dauphin Island Se Lab

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Program Components
Offshore
Offshore
Offshore
Offshore
hard bottom
hard bottom
hard bottom
hard bottom
Seagrass
Seagrass
Oyster reef
Oyster reef
Oyster reef
Oyster reef
habitats
habitats
Targeted research
Targeted research
Targeted research
Targeted research
projects
projects
projects
projects
Habitat
Habitat
Habitat
Habitat
Restoration/Enhancement
Restoration/Enhancement
Restoration/Enhancement
Restoration/Enhancement
Public outreach/
Public outreach/
Public outreach/
Public outreach/
Creation
education
Creation
education
Creation
education
Creation
education
Conservation
Conservation
Conservation
Conservation
Assessment/inventory of
Assessment/inventory of
current habitat
current habitat
current habitat
current habitat
Seagrass
Seagrass
Oyster reef
Oyster reef
Oyster reef
Seagrass
Oyster reef
Seagrass
Offshore
hard bottom
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Habitat Assessment
Live oyster reef
Buried oyster shell deposits
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Habitat Assessment
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Allocation

• 160 K for equipment
• 60K per year salary Fringe.
• 20 K For vessel support

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Reef Creation

• Offshore reefs, 200 K
• Inshore oyster reefs, 150 K

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Targeted Research

• 900 K Available (Direct cost)
• Core research program
• Shipp, offshore reef habitat
• Heck Powers, nursery role (350 K)
• Valentine (proposal in review)
• Proposal selected in this review cycle (550K)

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Proposed Projects