Oyster reefs filter large volumes of water, help stabilize salt marsh fringing shorelines, and provide essential habitat for many species of finfish and invertebrates such as crab and shrimp. Instead, harbor oysters are being restored for their ecological services. The harbor is polluted, and fishermen-recreational and commercial-harvest shellfish only from clean waters. These oysters aren’t for human consumption. So far, measurements show that empty shell planted in 2008 is attracting oyster larvae, and reefs are growing substantially larger. Since 2008, Hodges and his team have planted about 34,000 bushels of loose shell annually on 40 sites-14 acres total-for the four restoration projects. One is a $1 million mitigation project funded by the Port of Charles-ton for a facility expansion two others provide $472,500 and $121,478 for mitigations as part of court-ordered settlements to address past industrial contamination of harbor sediments and the fourth is a $100,000 erosion-control effort supported by federal “stimulus” funds. Today, though, he’s checking on other projects in Charleston Harbor, also managed by the S.C. Hodges is the lead field biologist for several oyster-restoration efforts, including the influential South Carolina Oyster Restoration and Enhancement program (SCORE), one of the first statewide, all-volunteer efforts outside the Chesapeake Bay. A shell is the best substrate, or foundation, to attract swimming young oysters looking for permanent homes. Attached a few weeks ago.”Īn empty oyster shell looks like a humble thing, but don’t throw it away. “There,” he says, running his finger across dime-sized bumps on the shell’s pearly inner surface. He steps into the shallows, his rubber boots crunching on the bottom, and then reaches down, grabs a shell, shakes out salt water, and holds it like a cup. Hodges has landed the 20-foot aluminum boat on a mound of loose, dead oyster shells along the shore. The city marina is across the river, but on a Monday morning under a gray-and-black sky threatening rain, this stretch of Charleston Harbor is still sleeping. The only sound is the wake lapping on shore. It’s quiet on the Ashley River after Michael Hodges cuts the engine. Lowcountry Living Shorelines: Restoring Carolina’s Reefs
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