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Oyster Restoration By Design IMPROVING THE HEALTH OF NEW HAMPSHIRE’S ESTUARY ONE OYSTER AT A TIME THE NEED: Oysters play a critical role in maintaining the health and resilience of the Great Bay Estuary. Each bivalve can filter up to 30 gallons of water per day, removing suspended particles and clearing the surrounding waters. Additionally, their reefs provide important habitat for native fish and invertebrates and can help alleviate erosion and buffer shorelines. As part of the Great Bay 2020 initiative, The Nature Conservancy has identified oyster reef restoration as an essential strategy for improving the conditions in Great Bay and currently has restored 24.7-acre footprint in the bay. THE PLAN: Develop a spatially explicit plan to guide near-term oyster restoration opportunities in the Great Bay Estuary. The plan will aim to integrate and balance site suitability for oyster restoration with additional interests, such as recreational harvest areas, oyster aquaculture opportunities, and eelgrass regeneration areas. We recognize that these habitats and activities must all be allowed to coexist in order to promote a healthy ecosystem and vibrant, local, marine-based heritage and economy. THE APPROACH: We will develop a restoration strategy for Great Bay that will include a review of past restoration efforts and identification of new sites. This project includes oyster reef restoration implementation, monitoring and assessment, with the intention of making progress toward long-term restoration goals, further developing our body of in-the-water restoration experience and continuing to refine our collective understanding of best site selection, design, and implementation practices. We recognize the importance of sediment dynamics and as such are conducting bathymetric mapping on the restoration sites to further understand sediment dynamics and propose new strategies for shell placement. Once we have identified potential sites for restoration we will work with key stakeholders , and hold meetings to solicit comments on the restoration plan, and adjust the plan as needed to accommodate various concerns or conflicts. THE GOAL: The Restoration by Design project will enable The Nature Conservancy and our Great Bay habitat restoration and resource management collaborators to literally map out and begin to pursue a collective vision for oyster restoration efforts. ALIX LAFERRIERE Coastal and Marine Director The Nature Conservancy [email protected] Above: Handfuls of oysters. © Jennifer Emerling; Below: Hauling cages of oysters. © Jennifer Emerling. This project is funded by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
