Florida Gulf Coast Oysters

Oyster reefs are one of the world's most important marine habitats — and one of the most endangered, having declined by more than 90 percent from historical levels. The Gulf of Mexico supports more than 60 percent of the healthy oyster reefs in the world. Along the Big Bend area of Florida's Gulf coast, oysters provide habitat for fish and wildlife and support commercial fisheries and related jobs.

University of Florida researchers Peter Frederick and Bill Pine have been studying risks to Big Bend oysters from numerous threats, including climate change and rising sea levels. Oysters are beneficial to coastal ecosystems and human communities, shielding homes from storm surge, mitigating erosion, filtering seawater and creating essential marine habitats. Despite their importance, we know little about what makes oyster reefs healthy.

"Many aspects of the ecology of the Gulf of Mexico are not well studied, and if you don't know how a system works, it's very hard to restore it once it's damaged," Frederick says.

Frederick and Pine were interested in reports of changes in oyster distribution along the undeveloped Big Bend coastline in the last 50 years and earlier research suggesting that reduced Suwannee River freshwater flow could threaten oysters.

Using Florida Sea Grant funds, the wildlife ecology and conservation researchers began in February 2009 to map Big Bend oyster bed distribution using high-resolution aerial imagery. By linking the new imagery to mapping efforts in recent decades, the pair began to understand the timing, location and extent of reef changes. They recruited postdoctoral fellow Jennifer Seavey to help assemble the photographic evidence and began to zero in on a possible reason for the reef changes: rising sea levels.

The team's plans changed abruptly when the Deepwater Horizon oil platform exploded and it became clear that their data would be invaluable in assessing the impacts if oil reached the Big Bend. On the other hand, if the area were spared, the data would provide reference sites for comparison to impacted areas.

The team worked with local fishermen to complete on-the-ground surveys of oyster health, growth, abundance and distribution during the critical period before the spill was capped and the oil's immediate impact on the Gulf of Mexico was known.

The scientists say UF's involvement left the university in an excellent position to assist with future oyster reef threats nationwide.

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