Oyster Restoration

I saw a presentation of this research at the NCBO Fisheries Science Symposium this past April and it was very impressive. The VIMS scientists found a correlation between height of the restored reef and the resultant density of oysters with the higher-relief reefs being significantly more successful.

From this weeks Science:
Unprecedented Restoration of a Native Oyster Metapopulation

A group of researchers is claiming an "unprecedented restoration" of oysters in the Great Wicomico River, a small tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. Thanks to a large network of reefs created in 2004, a booming population of native oysters has taken hold, the group reports in a paper published online by Science this week. Some researchers herald the accomplishment as a model for restoration, but others say that the new populations have yet to prove they can survive now-endemic diseases.

Read the article at Science [PDF Subscription Required]