NSW Oyster Reef Restoration Project

NSW Oyster Reef Restoration Project

Video presentation below

Shellfish reefs provide important habitat, forage, and water quality benefits for estuarine fisheries. Unfortunately, shellfish reefs have been almost completely lost in NSW. Oyster reef restoration projects aim to recover these losses. This presentation will discuss project outcomes for recent oyster reef restoration undertaken in NSW.

Shellfish reefs once provided key ecological services in the estuaries of NSW. Unfortunately, these reefs have been largely lost due to historical over-harvesting, disease, and sedimentation. Initiative 1 of the Marine Estate Management Strategy addresses water quality with a clear management action to facilitate and deliver on ground works that improve water quality. The NSW Marine Estate Management Strategy Oyster Reef Restoration Project provides on ground works to restore oyster reefs that aim to improve water quality, biodiversity and fish productivity. Oyster reef restoration is a new practice in NSW highlighting the need for research and monitoring to evaluate project outcomes. This presentation will discuss projects methods and preliminary results, examining fish and invertebrate assemblage responses to oyster reef restoration conducted at Port Stephens during summer 2020.

Here is the video presentation:

Science Week 2020 – Port Stephens Oyster Reef Restoration Pilot. New South Wales, Australia

You can also access the video presentation here.