I volunteered this morning shoveling shells and hauling concrete balls as part of a shoreline restoration project. After having previously volunteered in the creation of oyster reef balls with Tampa Bay Watch, I was eager to get involved in the actual placement of them.

It was a big undertaking, thank goodness there were over 60 of us! The first stage was to haul and place 100 oyster reef balls just offshore, in the intertidal zone. The 200 pound concrete balls will help diffuse wave action while providing a hard substrate where oyster spat can attach.

While restoring oyster beds are important for improving water quality, these projects also create EFH (essential fish habitat). For the second stage we filled 1,000 mesh bags with shells. These 35 pound bags were then placed upshore of the reef balls to further protect the shoreline.

Needless to say, it was quite a workout! Though it was hot and humid at least we had some cloud cover that made the morning tolerable. I look forward to checking back on the project (when it’s cooler out) to see the improvements.