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Healthy Oysters, Healthy River!

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Contributed by: Linette Trabulsy on 6/10/2008

While the eastern oyster is a valued part of aquatic food chains throughout South Florida, this familiar mollusk is particularly significant to the health and well-being of the St. Lucie Estuary. Oyster beds in the estuary provide vital habitat for a large number of aquatic organisms, and scientists have recognized that abundance and size of the beds are important indicators of estuary health. As a result, the eastern oyster was identified as an "indicator species" and is being targeted for monitoring by the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) as part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.

"The ecological significance of the oyster is under-appreciated and under-studied," said Governing Board member Melissa Meeker. "Monitoring this small but important invertebrate gives us a valuable tool for determining the progress of our environmental restoration efforts."

Environmental monitoring and assessment activities are carried out as part of Restoration, Evaluation, Coordination and Verification (RECOVER), a component of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. The oyster monitoring program documents changes in oyster distribution and abundance along South Florida's Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts. These ecosystems include the St. Lucie Estuary, the Loxahatchee River Estuary, the Lake Worth Lagoon, the Ten Thousand Islands Area and the Caloosahatchee River Estuary.

An individual eastern oyster ( Crassostrea virginica) can filter 4 to 34 liters of water per hour, removing phytoplankton, particulates, sediments, pollutants and microorganisms from the water. The filtering process improves light penetration into the water and promotes growth of underwater vegetation. Oysters-and the complex, three-dimensional reef structures they form-support numerous species of invertebrates and fishes, such as mud crab, black drum and crown conch. Oysters themselves are an important fisheries species, and the reefs serve as essential fish habitat for other commercially valuable species.

Each month, scientists with the RECOVER program monitor changes in oyster distribution and abundance in the St. Lucie Estuary. The long-term monitoring program for the eastern oyster focuses on four aspects of oyster ecology: spatial and size distribution patterns of adult oysters; distribution and frequency patterns of oyster diseases; reproduction and recruitment; and juvenile oyster growth and survival. Data are analyzed to determine if the health, distribution and abundance of oysters are improving with time and also to help manage water deliveries to the estuaries.

As restoration projects are implemented through the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, oyster monitoring will provide vital data on restoration success. One specific goal is to achieve large and abundant oyster beds in the St. Lucie, Caloosahatchee, Loxahatchee and Lake Worth Lagoon estuaries, including restoration of habitat function and oyster health.

The State of Florida, the Florida Legislature and the South Florida Water Management District have appropriated $2.4 billion toward the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, including the nation's first-ever use of Certificates of Participation funding for a natural resources project. An additional $1.8 billion has been invested in Everglades water quality improvements to implement State mandates.

For more information about the oyster monitoring program and the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, visit www.evergladesplan.org.

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The South Florida Water Management District is a regional, governmental agency that oversees the water resources in the southern half of the state - 16 counties from Orlando to the Keys.It is the oldest and largest of the state's five water management districts.The agency mission is to manage and protect water resources of the region by balancing and improving water quality, flood control, natural systems and water supply.A key initiative is cleanup and restoration of the Everglades.

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