Project Page

DWH Project Funding

$377,388

Known Leveraged Funding

$0

Project Description

Oyster reefs are important coastal ecosystems worldwide, and they provide critical ecosystem services for mankind. However, in recent years there has been a global decline in oyster populations and concurrent losses to coastal economies and associated ecosystem services. This is particularly apparent along the Mississippi Gulf Coast where oyster landings have declined ~15-fold over the past decade. The State of Mississippi has committed to an oyster reef restoration strategy that will facilitate sustainable landings of one million sacks per year by 2025, and the Mississippi-Based RESTORE Act Center of Excellence (MBRACE) supports this goal through its Core Research Program Topic Area: “Understanding oyster reefs and their sustainability”. The goal of this project is to identify differences in abiotic and biotic stressors at current and historic oyster reef sites, to better understand oyster reef health and to inform management regarding the best places and practices to improve oyster reef restoration strategies. To address this goal, University of Mississippi (UM) researchers will undertake three interdisciplinary objectives. They will: 1) develop and deploy replicate Oyster Sensor Platforms to current and historic oyster reefs, 2) characterize the biochemical and physiological responses of oysters to natural and anthropogenic stressors at these sites, and 3) assess the ecological and environmental impacts of stress on oyster reefs. The data generated by this project will have significant implications for oyster reef restoration and resilience on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. As the State of Mississippi implements the Governor’s Oyster Restoration and Resiliency Council (GORRC) plan, these results will provide crucial knowledge related to acceptable sites for future oyster reefs that will support sustainable and productive oyster fisheries in the region. Specifically, these data will identify the upper and lower thresholds for temperature, oxygen, and salinity relative to optimal oyster physiology, with implications for population reproductive potential and individual growth rates. In addition, these data will identify sites with high concentrations of anthropogenic and natural stressors that might impact the health of oysters and/or their consumers. Likewise, the role of oyster reefs in enhancing biodiversity and productivity (including commercially fished species), as well as facilitating nutrient cycling and ecosystem health will also be established. Collectively, these data will inform local resource managers as they restore and/or remediate these critical ecosystems for future generations. Finally, to ensure that critical stakeholders are engaged, we include an outreach plan that includes not only traditional scientific user groups, but the broader community as well.