When oysters are thriving on reefs, they act as a shelter, food source and natural water filter. A single oyster can filter 50 gallons of water per day, Fennessey said. Reefs also prevent shoreline erosion by disrupting wave energy before it reaches land—particularly during hurricanes and other severe storms.
There has been a 90% loss of oyster reef in Tampa Bay Estuary. Tampa Bay Watch works with community partners on interventions including living shorelines, but those projects are subject to funding and city permitting so they can take years. A vertical oyster garden can be completed in as little as three months. TBW collected 200,000 pounds of oyster shells from restaurants across the country. After a sterilization process that includes three months of sitting in the sun to bleach, the non-profit drills holes to prepare the shells for their new lives as an oyster garden.
“Think of it as building a friendship bracelet for the ocean,” she said, bringing the point home.