Moreton Bay coup as restoration takes hold
Science is often a one-step forward, two steps back process. You hypothesize, you test, you tweak, you fail, you learn. You develop proof of concept and continually refine your methods.
This is typical of ecosystem restoration, particularly for new work such as shellfish reef restoration.
For the first time, 1,450 Robust Oyster Baskets referred to as ROBs were deployed into a restoration site during the summer spawning season. The ROBs are a new restoration technique made from mild steel mesh filled with recycled oyster shells and were placed on the floor of Moreton Bay to restore lost shellfish reefs, considered functionally extinct in the area.
A team of researchers, volunteers, students, and recreational anglers recently went to examine how the system is responding.
OzFish volunteers dived on the restoration site and collected several of the ROBs that were deployed last November. They were placed in specifically designed fine mesh bags, brought to the surface, and whisked away to be opened and examined by students and researchers from Griffith University.
What they found was astounding.
Not only was there oyster settlement on the ROBs, but Professor Rod Connolly of Griffith University said, “It’s absolutely teeming! You expect in Moreton Bay, especially in the shallows of the site, that there would be a film of algae, but this is biodiverse life,” he said.
“There is oyster spat everywhere, and the species are quite diverse.”
Robbie Porter of OzFish said, “We were all shocked. We felt they would work but we are surprised by the extent. These ROBs have only been in for just over 2 months. We expected to see lots of baby oysters but there were thousands on each one and sea life everywhere,” he said.
“It was like all these animals and marine life were just holding on, waiting for some complex structure to begin to build a living system,” said Robbie.
“It goes to show if you build it, they will come, but it does also reinforce we have the right concept.”
Oyster reefs are an important part of the underwater ecosystem, not only providing habitat for a variety of organisms, but also filtering the water in those areas.
“We can only imagine what could happen in the future, ten years from now when each new oyster that grows could be filtering a bathtub of water a day. What that could do for seagrass, for mangroves, and for fish and all the other marine life in our bay,” said Robbie.
The Moreton Bay region has had a staggering 96% loss of shellfish due to overharvesting, disease and the production of cement. Losing the shellfish reefs meant the system has lost the services they provided, including water filtration, fish production and biodiversity.
The work to restore the Shellfish Reef Restoration in Moreton Bay is ongoing and we need your help. If you want to create a positive legacy for the health of Moreton Bay, join OzFish today.
The Moreton Bay shellfish Reef Restoration Project is supported by Healthy Land & Water through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.
