Artificial reef's success allows for cleaner water and healthier environment for Palmetto Bay

PALMETTO, Fla. - Florida waterways draw visitors from all over to enjoy recreational boating, fishing and swimming. Keeping those waterways healthy becomes a tough job as overuse and storms can leave pollution and other impurities in the water. 

The answer is sometimes as simple as a routine cleanup exercise, but sometimes, a more measured response is required for a longer-term solution.

That's what took place in Palmetto Bay in 2024.

What they're saying:

"Oysters have been here for the longest time since the 1800s," Rowena Young with the Palmetto Community Redevelopment Agency, said. "And so those oysters have kind of went away from over-harvesting."

The biological fact was that the oyster beds created a foundation for all the other aquatic life in the area of Palmetto Bay. They mapped out a plan and laid out what they could do to bring back the base of the healthy environment for the waterway.

"So, what we're trying to do is to maintain our environment. We have a lot of environmental issues. And so why not start here in Palmetto," Young said. 

And so, they did. The CRA planned to create an artificial reef in the waters of the bay. They plotted and planned where the reef balls would be located to best benefit from the natural flow of the river.

The idea was that the oysters that would come to the area would help to filter that same water, cleaning it to allow other aquatic life to move back into the area. 

"In 2024, when we installed these reef balls," Young said, "We installed 76 clusters of 5 each, reef balls. That's 360 reef balls. Then we have put in some oysters."

Those oysters settled across 22 acres of human-made reefs and began to make their home on the reef there in Palmetto Bay. Slowly, the water became more conducive to seagrass growth. That allowed shrimp and snails to move in, attracting larger animals like crabs, clams and then fish. 

"These oysters can filter out 50 gallons of water each per day, so that making the murky water become bright and clean," Young said. "The results are amazing. They are so positive. It is so fascinating to me that a lot of people don't understand the use and the meaning of having oysters around. The environment, keeping the environment safe and clean."

READ: Oyster reef balls installed along Maximo Park's southern shoreline in restoration project

Why you should care:

The Palmetto Bay Preserve Oyster Restoration, Water Quality and Aquatic Habitat Enhancement is a mouthful to say, but the project has yielded incredible results over the past two years. 

The Palmetto CRA revisits the site regularly to test the water quality and determine the viability of the reef and related habitat. They look for benchmarks and improvements that can help with planning future projects in other areas that would benefit from the positive results.

"With monitoring, we track success by looking at what we implement. We see zebra fish, we see crabs, we see the oysters habitating, and not only that, but they're rebuilding, and they're breeding. The life is here," Young said.

Young's team takes boats periodically to test the water pH levels and to use underwater cameras to visually track the reef growth there in Palmetto Bay.

"So, we have video monitoring, we have camera picture monitoring," Young said. "Since we started the project, the oyster population literally has tripled. So, all of the reef balls are filled with oyster spats, and they're just breeding and breeding and breeding and more oysters."

The benefit to the area is cleaner water with more wildlife and a healthier environment. This would attract more recreational fishing and boating to the area. 

"The impact that it makes is (that) people want to come to your area, they want to get in the water, they want to snorkel, they want to participate and be a part of this natural environment," Young said. "We want people to be able to get into the water, know that it's safe to get into the water and don't have to worry about health issues getting into the water."

READ: 24 artificial reefs deployed to help health of Sarasota Bay

What's next:

The Palmetto CRA is planning to repeat the project in the Estuary Preserve park on the other side of the Little Manatee River. Their hope is to replicate the success of the Palmetto Bay project. They will migrate some of their homegrown oysters from the Palmetto Bay site to that site to help with the process.

To learn more about the Palmetto Bay Oyster Restoration project, visit here.