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YEAR 2003 - CRP Project #2002 (Gulf of Mexico)
Project #2002
Shellfish Restoration & Crab Trap Recovery
Mobile, Alabama
Project name: #2002 Shellfish Restoration & Crab Trap Recovery
Project status: Complete
Grant Administrator:
Gulf of Mexico Foundation
(for NOAA)
Grantee:
Mobile Bay National Estuary Program
Project location: Dauphin Island, Mon Luis Island
& Grand Bay
Grant period: Jan 1, 2003 -
Dec 31, 2004
Grant amount: $42,981
Land Ownership: State of Alabama and private homeowners
Lat/Long: Whitehouse Reef 30°24.65’ 88°04.03’
Types of Habitat: oyster reef, submerged aquatic vegetation, salt marsh
and brackish marsh wetlands and intertidal zone
Project leaders:
David Yeager, Lee Yokel, Kim Hamilton, Kara Lankford
Mobile Bay National Estuary Program
4172 Commanders Drive
Mobile, AL 36615
(251) 431-6409 phone
(251) 431-6450 fax
Species To Benefit From Restoration:
- oyster, Crassostrea virginica
- blue crab, Callinectes sapidas
- diamond back terrapin, Malaclemys terrapin
- spotted sea trout, Cynnoscion nebulosus
- southern flounder, Paralichthys lethostigma
Acres of Habitat Restored:
Oyster Gardening: Approximately 50,000 oysters
were distributed in 2003 over roughly 10 acres of
historical habitat on Whitehouse Reef. Success was
also measured by the numbers of oysters returned to
area reefs and the number of volunteers participating.
Yearly monitoring will occur at GPS locations for
future oyster distribution.
Crab Trap Removal: Individually, one crab trap is 9
square feet or 27 cubic feet maximum. The 2003 recovery resulted in 1,260 square feet
of discrete restoration. Success was measured by
the number of traps removed, number of volunteers
participating and amount of live bycatch released.
Project Description:
This is a two-part project, one part oyster reef
restoration and the other part crab trap removal. The combined
program seeks
to educate the public as well as enhance marine
resources.
The oyster gardening program, in operation since
2001, involves acquiring wild spat, having volunteers grow
the spat in specially designed cages, then distributing
mature oysters onto a reef. An historic area of
Whitehouse Reef was the target in 2003.
Alabama's derelict crab trap recovery effort, in
operation since 2002, involves collecting abandoned
traps from sensitive marine resources and reef areas.
Over 1,000 derelict traps were removed from Mobile Bay
in 2003. Removing traps reduces risk of traps getting into
productive fishery resources. The program involves
volunteers and organizations working in an area-wide
cleanup.
Project Objectives:
Oyster Gardening
- Educate volunteers and public about oysters, reefs,
and habitat conditions, as well as teach the value of
conservation
- Restore historic oyster reef habitat for
oysters as well as for other marine species which are the
base of the food chain for fish, crabs, and other
species
- Improve water quality through oyster filtration
along Mon Louis Island
- Grow oyster spat in a gardening project to give spat a better chance to mature through more
controlled growing conditions
Crab Trap Removal
- Remove derelict crab traps from sensitive ecosystems
to improve habitat and reduce by-catch mortality
- reduce risk of traps getting into productive fisheries resources
- educate public and enhance marine resources
Project History:
The Oyster Gardening / Reef Restoration project
will be in its third year of operation and was the
first on the Gulf Coast. Small-scale aquaculture
gardening programs exist in Maryland and Virginia as a
means of restoring oyster population and improving
water quality in the Chesapeake Bay. Similar programs
are now beginning in Pensacola Bay as well as
Charlotte Harbor, Florida. Shallow-water derelict crab
trap recovery efforts have been held in Mississippi
and Texas. A Gulf-wide working group exists through
the National Marine Fisheries Service. These partners
continue to work with the State of Alabama toward
other marine resource conservation efforts.
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