https://phys.org/news/2023-04-oysters-brink.html
'New scientific findings show that 3 million new oysters are living on oyster
baskets built by volunteers along Brisbane's coastline.
A team of Griffith University marine scientists analyzed all types of animals
living on the structures placed in the Port of Brisbane, and found that along
with oysters and other shellfish, another 4.5 million animals, such as crabs,
live on and among the oysters.
Lead researcher Marina Richardson, an expert in shellfish biology and ecology
in Griffith's Coastal and Marine Research Centre, said that although oysters
were historically plentiful in Moreton Bay, the populations were now
"functionally extinct."
"The benefits of restoring oyster populations in these shallow seas are
enormous," she said.
"Oyster reefs disappeared before living memory and were the kidneys of our
waterways," Richardson said.
"The primary cause was the destruction of reefs for lime-burning and
unregulated and unsustainable harvesting following European arrival in the
1800s, so by the early 1900s, the oyster industry was in a state of collapse.
"Declining water quality and the removal of habitats that included old shells
and hard substrates when whole reefs were removed and burned prevented reefs
from naturally recovering, and therefore required intervention."
The Griffith research team worked with fishing conservation charity OzFish to
create the new oyster reefs at a 19-hectare site in 5-meter deep water at the
Port of Brisbane near the mouth of the river.
OzFish's Robbie Porter, a Senior Project Officer in shellfish restoration,
spent years trialing the best way to attract natural recruitment of shellfish
onto created structures, and came up with the idea of robust oyster baskets, or
ROBs.'
Via
Future Crunch:
<
https://futurecrunch.com/good-news-heart-united-states-democracy-uruguay-nature-rights-ecuador/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
