MISSION-ARANSAS ESTUARY — Texas oysters will soon receive a significant boost, thanks to a recently awarded $8.2 million large-scale oyster restoration project.

The project is funded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Office of Habitat Conservation as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.

Led by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and with collaboration from project partners: Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program, Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve, The Nature Conservancy, Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies/Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi, this cutting-edge project aims to restore heavily degraded oyster reefs within the next four years.

Oyster reefs are crucial for the health of Texas’ bays, as they filter water, support marine biodiversity and protect shorelines from storm surges and erosion. Unfortunately, these habitats face a global crisis, with an 85% decline worldwide and a 50% loss in the Gulf of Mexico due to coastal development, degraded water quality, extreme weather events such as hurricanes and drought, as well as fishing pressure and practices.

This newly awarded restoration project will be one of the largest oyster restoration initiatives to date in Texas to support oyster systems before restoration becomes significantly more challenging and costly.

“Healthy oyster reefs are the unsung heroes of our coastal ecosystems,” said Jennifer Pollack, Larry D. McKinney Endowed Chair for Coastal Conservation and Restoration at Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies, and founder of the ‘Sink Your Shucks’ program. “This project represents a groundbreaking step in preserving their role as nature’s water filters and shoreline defenders.”

The ambitious oyster restoration project involves constructing a series of broodstock reserves (non-harvestable oyster reefs) across the Mission Aransas Estuary.

TPWD, along with project partners, will construct these non-harvestable reefs with large boulders that cannot be fished with dredges, in areas that may be open to harvest, such as the Copano and Aransas bays. In addition, oyster reefs will be constructed with recycled oyster shell and other similar-sized materials in sub-bays, where regulatory provisions, such as harvest closures, ensure oysters are protected from harvest. Studying these restored oyster reefs provides insight for future restoration efforts to enhance ecosystem resilience and support sustainable oyster fisheries.

Additionally, the location of these reefs will be an important component of the project, as healthy reefs can provide a “network” of larval sources to nearby degraded reefs. By building networks of connected oyster reefs, this project aims to foster rapid recovery, enhance biodiversity and equip oyster habitats to withstand future environmental challenges.

Members of the local community, including oyster fishers and recreational anglers, will provide input in site selection to ensure restoration locations both contribute to the ecology of the estuarine landscape and avoid user conflicts. The project team will engage the local community throughout the entire restoration process to share updates and results as the project progresses.