Building Oyster Reefs

BUILDING OYSTER REEFS

Several projects are under way to restore some of the 8,000 acres of oyster reefs that were killed when Hurricane Ike buried them in sediment last year. Galveston Bay oyster reefs Oyster reefs

Houston Ship Channel

Trinity Bay

East Bay

Texas City 6 miles

Structure of a reef Live oyster colony

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Ga

Gulf of Mexico

Bolivar Peninsula

Galveston Bay

Buried shells and mud

Mud

Damaged reefs Larvae Silt

Reef

Normal reef

Unfished or lightly fished oyster reefs are often vertical enough to absorb much of the sedimentation caused by storms and continue functioning.

Heavily dredged reef Dredged reef

Silt

Small oyster reefs and heavily dredged reefs often have low profiles and are more prone to being dramatically affected by siltation than “taller” reefs.

Sources: NOAA, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, research by Shannon Tompkins

ALBERTO CUADRA : C H R O N I C L E