New Reef Success: Endangered Oysters Are Back (Millions of Them)

As oysters play a crucial role in water ecosystems, the deployment of oyster baskets in the Port of Brisbane, Australia, successfully brought back the endangered mollusk, as well as other shellfish in the region’s waters.

“This comprehensive census of life on the oyster baskets provides a solid basis for estimating current success,” says Professor Rod Connolly, Director of Griffith’s Coastal and Marine Research Centre. “It also underpins how future restoration efforts can help our coastal waters recover and thrive again.”

Marine scientists affiliated with Griffith University teamed up with fishing conservation charity OzFish to create a new oyster reef – a 19-hectare site in 5-meter-deep water – in the mouth of the Brisbane River. There, they deployed 4,000 robust oyster baskets, or ROBs, that are stable, inexpensive, portable, and easily deployable. They formed sturdy clumps of oysters in about a year. Turns out that the baskets are now home to 3 million new oysters and 4.5 million animals, like crabs. Since ROBs don’t rely on the hatchery-produced spat, they can be used on a larger scale. Indeed, the project’s next stage is a large-scale active restoration with the deployment of ROBs in other locations. The presence of oysters ensures the return of vital ecosystem services like water filtration, the establishment of habitats, and foraging grounds for fish and invertebrates.