PLACIDA, Fla. — On Thursday, a crew of conservationists added 40 tons of reclaimed oyster shells to an existing reef in Charlotte Harbor, continuing efforts to improve water quality and create marine habitats in the area.
The Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) and its partners deployed the shells at an oyster reef in Turtle Bay, marking the fifth replenishment effort in about five years.
Watch Fox 4's Alex Orenczuk report on CCA's oyster reef restoration project:
“They came from restaurants, oyster bars, it's kind of full circle," said Frank Gidus, CCA's director of environment and habitat restoration. "They’re harvested from the water they’re taken to restaurants they’re consumed, we collect them, we recycle them and dry them out for at least six months and we take them out here and deploy them back out into the water."
This latest addition brings the total amount of reclaimed shells deployed at this location to 130 tons, according to Gidus.
The project serves multiple environmental purposes. Oysters grow best on existing oyster shells, and a single oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water daily. By building up the reef, conservationists are not only creating cleaner water but also establishing habitats for other marine life.
CCA's Chief Operating Officer, Adam Miller, showed the stark difference between the clean shells that were being added to the reef, and the shells that had been there for years, with oysters attached and growing on them.
"Yeah absolutely this is a marker of success for us," Miller said. "We can tell that the work that we’re doing is recruiting new oyster shells, which then will create additional habitats and filter water.”
The CCA and its partners plan to continue building up this reef and others across Florida.
Thursday's project was in honor of fisherman and conservationist Mike Abbott.
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