Apalachicola oyster update from community advisory board
The ABSI team and Shantz Lab have been recovering, photographing, and deploying artificial reef structures across the bay. Each structure is made with calcium carbonate, similar to oyster shells, and concrete. The Reef Balls are hollow structures that provide large open spaces for oyster settlement while the Layer Cakes have smaller spaces that may provide refuge from predators but plenty of surface area for oyster recruitment.
Special to The Sun<.
October was a busy month for Apalachicola Bay System Initiative! On Oct. 18th, the Community Advisory Board (CAB) met at the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve facility.
The meeting began with reports from the CAB working groups and subcommittees followed by a science update from ABSI Principal Investigator, Dr. Sandra Brooke. This science update includes: results of oyster surveys on ABSI restoration sites and proposals for next restoration experiment.
Next, CAB member and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission representative Devin Resko provided an update on the FWC and NFWF Oyster Bay Restoration Phase II project. If you have any questions or comments, please email Devin at devin.resko@myfwc.com.
Then, Dr. Ed Camp, University of Florida Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, spent the majority of the meeting providing an overview of stock assessment models and simulation models (a “what if?” analysis). Ed is an interdisciplinary scientist who focuses on the ecology and human dimension aspects of managing fisheries & aquaculture.
A few hours after the Community Advisory Board concluded, ABSI hosted an Oystermen’s Workshop to present the science behind current ABSI restoration experiments and FWC restoration projects. Seven oystermen participated in the meeting and gave feedback on the restoration plans and potential management options for the oyster fishery.
Finally, on Oct. 19th, ABSI hosted its first Community Workshop to present information and data from ABSI restoration experiments and FWC restoration projects, and to allow time and space for members of the public to express comments and questions about the status of the Bay. Thank you to everyone who came out to the Oystermen’s Workshop and the Community Workshop! We are planning another Community Workshop in early 2023 – stay tuned for updates.
To ensure complete transparency, the entire history of the deliberations from each of the 23 meetings (19 CAB meetings and 4 Oystermen’s Workshops) since March 2020, including copies of all presentations and meeting recordings, are available on the ABSI Community Advisory Board website.