The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) recently worked alongside the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) to complete a crucial phase of a collaboration project to investigate methods for optimizing oyster habitat restoration in the Mississippi Sound.
Two project areas, each containing a 50-acre reef site, were identified near Bay St. Louis and Pascagoula, Miss. These sites contain eight 1-acre experimental plots, which are now complete with base reefs consisting of limestone substrate.
The project’s primary objective is to assess reef recovery and restoration efforts, hopefully leading to oyster population recovery. A secondary objective is to evaluate whether the creation of oyster reefs has any impacts on the use of critical habitat by Gulf sturgeon, a federally protected species.
“A healthy ecosystem for cultivating oyster reefs will mean both environmental and economic benefits for the Mississippi Gulf Coast,” said Dr. Safra Altman, a research ecologist with ERDC’s Environmental Laboratory and ERDC’s technical lead for the project. “A productive oyster reef improves water quality and supports a favorable habitat for fish and other benthic organisms, while it can also supplement existing reefs, therefore expanding production in the oyster industry.”
Dr. Todd Slack, a fisheries biologist with ERDC’s Environmental Laboratory, is investigating the influence these oyster reefs will have on the Gulf sturgeon population.
“We will be tagging Gulf sturgeon within the project area and monitoring habitat use,” Slack explained. “We are hoping to create a stable structure that will eventually increase additional fish production which will improve commercial and recreational fisheries.”
The USM-ERDC experimental reef recreation project offers an opportunity to address challenges related to the threatened oyster reef ecosystem in Mississippi Sound. During the next phase, USM’s Gulf Coast Research Laboratory is seeking to procure a contractor to augment the multiple one-acre oyster reef plots, including surficial enhancements of limestone gravel substrate to the designated plots in the spring-summer of 2025. The Legal and Public Bid Notice will be posted in the SunHerald and will be open from August 27 until October 27.
ERDC will continue monitoring the reefs’ progress and provide strategic assessments to guide future restoration efforts.