Oyster Reef Restoration Coming Soon to Honeymoon Island

Eric Plage is hoping 24 tons of fossilized oyster shells will help the molluscs thrive once again st Honeymoon Island this October.

Plage, an environmental specialist at Tampa Bay Watch, a Tierra Verde-based non-profit dedicated to protecting and restoring Tampa's marine and wetland environments, is spearheading efforts for the upcoming oyster reef restoration project at Honeymoon Island State Park. 

The project seeks to build mock reefs using 30-pound bags of fossilized oyster shells stacked on top of each other in the flat, seagrassy cove area behind the Rotary Centennial Nature Center. About a dozen volunteers are already enlisted to bag 24 tons of shells and place them 100 to 150 feet offshore during low tide on Oct. 11 and 12. (Volunteer positions are full for the October dates.)

"There's a little bit of living oyster already" there, Plage says, which makes it an ideal place to attempt to reconstruct reefs. "With oysters nearby, we're confident we can get recruitment."

Redeveloping the live oyster populations does three important things, Plage said:

1. It creates a natural water filtration system. Oysters "can handle some pretty nasty water," Plage explained, and actually play a vital role in cleaning the surrounding water of harmful pollutants. 
2. It provide habitat to fish and sealife. Oyster reefs create a safe place for smaller fish and a place for bigger fish and migrating shorebirds to forage for food, Plage said. 
   
3. It serves to educate. The Honeymoon Island restoration project will be taking place in plain sight from the Centennial Nature Center. Bystanders will be able to view what's going on and see the before and after results of restoring a key Florida environmental habitat.

Tampa Bay Watch has successfully restored oyster reefs at Weedon Island, Weedon Island, Green Key and Whiskey Stump Key, to name a few. Grant applications are underway for the upcoming Honeymoon Island project, but sponsors Mosiac and MarineMax have already contributed greatly to the project, Plage said.

"We have some seriously super volunteers," Plage said. "We've become pretty efficient in building these oyster reefs."

"It’s a good time," Plage said. "You get a boat ride out of it and get to see natural Florida."

Want to Help?

Volunteer positions for the Honeymoon Island project are filled for October, but additional help may be enlisted for the second round tentatively slated for spring 2014, Plage said. 

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