permits acquired!
Exciting news – our permit to conduct scientific research in Coffin Bay’s sanctuary zones has been approved! That means we can start collecting the scientific data needed to inform how and where we can restore Coffin Bay’s lost reefs.
Most importantly, we need to know where and when the larvae of native angasi oysters are recruiting across the bay. This is vital knowledge if we are to help those baby oysters to form new reef habitat, which provides the foundation for oyster reef ecosystems.
When environmental conditions are right, adult angasi oysters can release up to 3 million larvae into the water to disperse and, hopefully, find a new home. Angasi larvae can spend up to 2 weeks floating in the water column, dispersing primarily via tides and currents (but also swimming! a little). When the larvae interpret certain ‘environment cues’, such as attractive smells (of other oysters) or sounds (of healthy habitats), the larvae can sink to the seabed and cement itself to a rock or shell to begin their sessile (stationary) life. This process of ‘recruitment’ to the seafloor is the biggest bottleneck in the life of an oyster – only a small portion of the larvae released by adult oysters will find a place to live. This is because oyster larvae need to find suitable hard substrate (rock, shell) to settle on, but almost all of the seafloor has changed from historical oyster reefs to sediment.
Excitingly, right now conditions are ideal for adult oysters to start spawning. Previous research shows that angasi oysters start spawning larvae once water temperatures exceed 17oC. So, this is the perfect time to put our oyster settlement panels and bags of oyster shell into the water, on which the oyster larvae will settle so can learn where they are recruiting, and when.
sediment panel installation
november 29th, 2023
today we installed 10 sediment panels at a few sites around coffin bay! these are the first panels to get into the water, and we plan on retrieving them around easter next year.
the initial sites chosen to deploy these panels were:
goat island (3 panels)
snapper point (3 panels)
whiting ave (4 panels)
we’ve created a map to track all of the panels we’ve installed. you can view the map at the link below!
we’ll look at getting some more into the water soon!
data collection prep!
Learn more about building sediment panels to measure oyster recruitment levels throughout various parts of Coffin Bay.
november 27th, 2023. - by manny katz
summer is quickly approaching, so today was spent taking action for the next step in the project.
using cement board, garden stakes, and fastening screws, we fashioned together some sediment panels which will be deployed at 10 different points of interest around coffin bay tomorrow.
panels were cut to a (roughly) uniform size of about 18cm x 18cm, drilled, and screwed into place on the garden stakes, which will get hammered into the sandy bottom.
these rudimentary panels will provide insight into how much native oyster recruitment is occurring in various areas, once we recover the panels in a few months time.
diving scholarship for local students
Students from various schools around the Eyre Peninsula have been selected to receive diving scholarships!
year 9-10 students from port lincoln high and cummins area school have been granted the opportunity to gain their padi diving certifications to participate in the diving activites required to revive coffin bay’s lost oyster reefs.
the certifications and training are being donated and completed by coffin bay scuba co.
students were asked to write a 500 word essay about their relationship with the ocean, and 10 students were selected as scholarship recipients based upon their responses.
the students selected include:
kyuss Bates
ella Day
brayden Foote
kynan Letton
ashlyn Eming
kiarna Letton
lachlan Hancock
ben Habner
millie Speed
isla Nagel
congrats to all of the selected students!