Oyster Reefs in Peril

If you have fished the Texas upper and middle coasts during fall and winter over the last several years you likely have witnessed an increased presence of oyster boats working reefs during the public season. Many of you have expressed grave concern for the status of our public oyster reefs and wonder what you can do to be a voice for the resource. Before we get to that, let’s review the important ecological and economic values that an oyster reef provides to the ecosystem.

Ecological services provided by oysters include:

• Water Quality Improvement – remove chlorophyll ‘a’, reduce turbidity, denitrification, increase benthic algal or pseudofecal production, bacterial biomass removal
• Shoreline stabilization
• Carbon sequestration
• Increase fish production
• Provide habitat for epibenthic fauna
• Diversify the landscape and create synergies among habitats
• Expand existing reefs and create new oyster reefs

Peterson et al (2003) estimate that 10m2 (2.5 acres) of a restored or unfished oyster reef in the southeast United States would be expected to yield an annual additional of 2.6 kg (6lbs) of production of fish and large mobile crustaceans for the functional lifetime of the reef.

Zimmerman et al (1989) in a document prepared for TPWD in 1989 stated that oyster reef and marsh habitats were significantly more utilized than bare mud bottom by coastal infauna and epifauna (small organisms living either attached to or under a surface). There is a high attractive value for reefs and marsh. The notion that oyster reef and salt marsh support unique community assemblages is supported, and neither can be viewed as an alternative for the other. (Infauna and epifauna are important foods for juvenile shrimp, blue crabs, and fishes.)

The economic value of oyster reef services, excluding oyster harvesting, is between $5,500 and $99,000 per hectare per year and that reefs recover their median restoration costs in 2–14 years. In contrast, when oyster reefs are subjected to destructive oyster harvesting, they do not recover the costs of restoration (Dollar Reef in Galveston for example). Shoreline stabilization is the most valuable potential service, although this value varies greatly by reef location. Quantifying the economic values of ecosystem services provides guidance about when oyster reef restoration is a good use of funds. (Grabowski et al 2012).

We estimate the average annual value of services provided by restored and protected oyster reefs that ranges from $10,325 to $99,421 per hectare, depending on where the restored reef is located and the suite of ecosystem services that the restored reef provides. Both of these measures are at least an order of magnitude greater than the commercial value derived from harvesting the oysters produced by degraded reefs. (Grabowski et al 2012).

CCA Texas has advocated for increased sustainability of the oyster fishery and a reduction in fishing pressure for many years. As recent as 2017, we pushed strongly for a suite of changes, which were passed by the Texas legislature and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission (TPWC). In 2017, the TPW Commission passed a suite of regulations, including permanent closure of some minor bays and banning harvest within 300-feet of all shorelines. This action resulted in the protection of at least 3,189.4 Ac or 6.6% of total Texas oyster habitat, and using the values provided by cited literature, the ecosystem services of oysters within these closures is valued between $41.5M – $778M.

Since those 2017 rule changes, public oyster reefs along the Texas coast continue to see an assault like never before. The commercial fleet is highly mobile and moves from bay system to bay system to seek and secure their highest returns possible. The end result is a highly degraded reef system wherever the fleet has dredged up their catch.  Over time many reefs have become overfished, yet the take continues.  Reefs that once stood out of the water are just at the surface, except for times of extreme tides, have been whittled down to where the crest of many are several feet under the surface.  Many examples of this are in the Aransas and Copano Bay systems.  Certainly, Hurricane Harvey did take the tops of some of these reefs but had the reefs structural integrity not been compromised from dredging activities in years prior to the storm, many of those reef systems would not have been impacted from the surge. Reefs that were once wadable fishing spots continue to be exploited by the oyster industry’s newfound ability to get on top of these reefs and dredge them down to nothing more than gravel parking lots. There is simply no denying the damage and destruction that has been caused by the relentless assault on public oyster reefs ecosystems along the Texas coast.

Several conservation organizations recently joined CCA Texas and FlatsWorthy to address critical concerns over the continued decline of the oyster fishery.  A letter signed on by 17 organizations was sent to Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission Chairman Arch H. “Beaver” Aplin, III on November 11, 2021.  This letter authored by CCA Texas and FlatsWorthy is the product of tireless work and research to push forward changes in how the oyster fishery is managed.   The following is the text of the letter sent:

November 11, 2021

The Honorable Arch H. “Beaver” Aplin, III, Chairman

Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission

4200 Smith School Road

Austin, Texas 78744

Dear Chairman Aplin,

There is shared concern by the undersigned organizations for the condition of public oyster reefs along the Texas Coast. Having personally witnessed excessive loss of reefs in Galveston Bay, Matagorda Bay, San Antonio Bay, Mesquite Bay, Carlos Bay, Aransas Bay and Copano Bay, our groups can attest that previously wadable reefs are now inaccessible. Reefs that once offered sanctuary for shorebirds no longer breach the water’s surface. Additionally, reefs that used to protect shorelines from erosion are no longer high enough to absorb wave energy across the bays. Numerous personal accounts and scientific justification for oyster reef ecological value have warranted a closer examination and perhaps alternate management strategies for this fishery.

We strongly encourage Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) to recognize the ecological and structural value of public reefs and consider establishing management criteria which is congruent with oyster reef ecology and morphology. In doing so, we ask TPWD to consider incorporating metrics for reef depth and vertical relief in harvest status of public reefs. We also ask TPWD to consider identifying a network of living reefs in multiple bays systems that can be permanently prohibited from commercial harvest, serving as sanctuary reefs for their respective bay systems. There is undeniable scientific justification for designating sanctuary oyster reefs for the services they provide, including, but not limited to, being a seed source for adjacent reefs, serving as habitat for hundreds of aquatic species, providing recreational fishing opportunities and offering other numerous ecosystem services with ecological benefits far greater than the harvest value. Furthermore, these structures are critical in determining current, acting as baffles slowing water surges and stemming shoreline erosion.

Understanding that numerous public reefs have already been dredged to the point where there is no longer suitable substrate to recruit newly settled oyster spat, we believe now is an appropriate time for TPWD to consider developing a dual track lease program – one for purposes of restoration (conservation leases) and one for purposes of commercial operations (commercial lease), both of which could be designated under TPWD’s authority in Chapter 76 (certificate of location). As identified by TPWD in previous discussions, there are over 20,000 acres of suitable bay bottom across bay systems from Sabine Lake to Aransas Bay for lease development. The creation of a conservation lease program will allow NGOs, universities, non-profits, and others to invest in restoration activities in bay systems adjacent to public reefs with the assurance that their investments will be permanently protected from commercial harvest and the newly developed reefs reach their ecological potential. Development of the commercial lease program (i.e., expansion of the existing certificate of location) would allow commercial operations to invest their resources (shucked oyster shell or suitable cultch) into areas where they have exclusive harvest authority. Akin to terrestrial farming, oyster operators work their leases to ensure a successful crop and employ sustainable practices that promote successful recruitment year after year. When examining these behaviors, compared to harvest practices on the public reef system by commercial fishermen, the contrast in attitudes towards oyster resources is clear.

We appreciate TPWD’s efforts to manage our public oyster reefs and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission’s (TPWC) actions to ensure the health and prosperity of Texas oyster resources for current and future generations. The fact that our state is one of the last public reef system strongholds is a testament to prior actions taken by the TPWC. While our current system isn’t perfect, it has afforded us time to incorporate refined metrics into existing management strategies and provided us with a unique opportunity to expand oyster reef systems through protection, restoration, and leases.

Thank you for your consideration of these alternate management strategies. We remain committed to working with TPWD, coastal stakeholders and commercial oyster operators to ensure that we have a sustainable fishery for generations to come.

Respectfully,

Coastal Conservation Association – FlatsWorthy – Galveston Bay Foundation – Matagorda Bay Foundation – San Antonio Bay Partnership – International Crane Foundation – Western Photography Company – Texas Foundation for Conservation – Backcountry Hunters and Anglers/Texas Chapter - Saltwater Fisheries Enhancement Association – Texas Association of Bass Clubs - San Antonio Metropolitan League of Bass Clubs - Texas Black Bass Unlimited - Safari Club International/Houston Chapter – National Wild Turkey Foundation – Palacios Marine Agriculture Organization - Lone Star Bowhunters Association

Beck et al (2011) and Lotze et al (2006) estimate that only 15% of the world’s oyster reef habitat are remaining. We must do what we can to protect this critical habitat and have a sustainable oyster fishery. If you’d like to get involved and be voice for the resource, please follow CCA Texas and FlatsWorthy on social media and share their messaging. If you aren’t members, please consider joining us to receive up-to-date information and opportunities to engage in rule making processes. And, as cliché as it may sound, contact your elected officials to share your perspective on this critical issue. Rest assured, conservation groups like CCA Texas and FlatsWorthy remain committed to working towards increased sustainability of this fishery and a refined management process that recognizes the structural and ecological value of oysters in the water.

For more information about what CCA Texas is doing in regards to the management of oyster resources in Texas, please visit www.ccatexas.org and follow us on social media Facebook at www.facebook.com/CCATexas/ and @cca_texas on Instagram.

Literature Cited

Beck, W.W., R.D. Brumbaugh, L. Airoldi, A. Carranza, L.D. Coen, C. Crawford, O. Defeo, G. J. Edgar, B. Hancock, M.C. Kay, H.S. Lenihan, M. W. Luckenbach, C.L. Toropova, G.Zhang, and X. Guo. 2011. Oyster Reefs and Risk and Recommendations for Conservation, Restoration, and Management. Bioscience 61(2): 107-116.

Grabowski J.H., R.D. Brumbaugh, R.R. Conrad, A.G Keller, J.J. Opaluch, C.H. Peterson, M/F. Piehler, S.P. Powers and A.R. Smyth. 2012. Economic Valuation of Ecosystem Services Provided by Oyster Reefs. BioScience. 62: 900-909.

Lotze, H. K., H.S. Lenihan, B.J. Bourque, R. H. Bradbury, R.G. Cooke, M.C. Kay, S.M. Kidwell, M.X. Kirby, C.H. Peterson, J.B.C. Jackson. 2006. Depletion, Degradation, and Recovery Potential of Estuaries and Coastal Seas. Science. 23: 1806-1809.

Peterson, C. H., J.H. Grabowski, S.P. Powers. 2003. Estimated enhancement of fish reproduction resulting from restoring oyster reef habitat: Quantitative valuation. Marine Ecology. 264: 249-264.

Zimmerman R, Minello T, Baumer T, Castiglione M. 1989. Oyster reef as habitat for estuarine macrofauna. NOAA Technical Memo. NMFS-SEFC 249:16.