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Oyster Rag Pots designed to help Manatee River
Oyster River Ecology is working to restore a 10-acre area of the Manatee River East of I-75 with Oyster Rag Pots. FOX 13's Kim Kuizon reports.
Dating back to 1837, the Manatee River was once known as the "Oyster River" due to the large number of oyster beds lining the shore.
Harvesting, dredging, wastewater spills and changes to the area over nearly 200 years have left Manatee River a shell of its former self.
The non-profit Oyster River Ecology is working to turn that around.
Every week they get to work, putting together Oyster Rag Pots which are installed in the Manatee River.
Mixed by hand, cement and a cotton rag are turned into a tool to help the Manatee River.
"It's nice to have other folks in here to kind of keep you on pace and while it is like wash, rinse, repeat, not every batch you mix is the same," said Sarah Sheffer, an Oyster Rag Pot Fabricator with Oyster River Ecology.
Once each rag is coated, a wooded spacer and metal pin are inserted and turned upside down to dry.
The finished product, an Oyster Rag Pot, will soon be placed in a 10-acre area of the Manatee River, east of I-75 by the non-profit Oyster River Ecology.
What they're saying:
"Restoring oysters, especially in the Manatee River, is incredibly important. Historically, there were over 132 acres of oysters in the Manatee river, recent history. The river is having a rough time. We are trying to turn that tide and do something to restore water quality, fisheries habitat and make it something we are all proud of again," said Damon Moore, the Founder and Executive Director of Oyster River Ecology.
A group of three can turn out between 75 and 100 oyster rag pots in an hour for a day’s work. That’s about 500 for future efforts.
"We put them in about one-foot apart and, after one year, once the oysters get growing on them, they grow in together, and they restore the reef," said Moore.
Underwater video shows the progress of Oyster Rag Pots installed 10 months ago.
The reef formations are already thriving and attracting both small and large fish.
"The other areas of the river are really just kind of sandy bottom and once you put the rag pots in and the oysters start growing and all the invertebrates come to it and those bring smaller fish, larger fish," said Abbey Kuhn, the Ecological Restoration Technician for Oyster River Ecology.
Local perspective:
Founder Damon Moore grew up in Manatee County and wants to see the Manatee River thrive again.
His goal is to restore over 100 acres of the river to historic levels with clean water.
"It's about clean water, but it’s also about helping people with the jobs, helping have local seafood which we can all appreciate that," said Moore.
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What you can do:
Help from volunteers is needed.
"It enables them to be a part of the solution, so many people want to help. They see what’s going on, they always hear the bad news, the water quality issues. This is a way people can help and literally hands on have a part of fixing problems with our water quality," said Moore.
A few volunteers are needed to help on Saturday, October 11th.
Oyster River Ecology will be assembling 500 Oyster Rag Pots at Ft. Hamer Park. To sign up, click here.
There are other opportunities that will be coming in the next few months. Small groups can also visit Oyster River Ecology's warehouse in Palmetto, where Oyster Rag Pots are assembled on a weekly basis.
To learn more, you can visit their website, or email Damon Moore at: damon@oysterriverecology.org.
The Source: Information was gathered by FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon through Oyster River Ecology.