Assessment of Eastern Oysters, Crassostrea virginica, at an Environmental Enhancement Project Area...

Assessment of Eastern Oysters,Assessment of Eastern Oysters,Crassostrea virginicaCrassostrea virginica, at an , at an

Environmental Enhancement Project AreaEnvironmental Enhancement Project Areain Lake Worth Lagoon, Floridain Lake Worth Lagoon, Florida

John Scarpa and Susan LaramoreJohn Scarpa and Susan LaramoreHarbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute

at Florida Atlantic Universityat Florida Atlantic University

Aquaculture and Stock Enhancement ProgramAquaculture and Stock Enhancement Program

Ft. Pierce, FloridaFt. Pierce, Florida

Presented atPresented at

1313thth International Conference on Shellfish Restoration International Conference on Shellfish Restoration

Charleston, South CarolinaCharleston, South Carolina

19 November 201019 November 2010

Comprehensive Everglades Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP)Restoration Plan (CERP)

Lake Worth Lagoon: provide suitable habitat through the placement of appropriate material on hard bottom currently impacted by muck deposits.

Courtesy Scott Lynch

Lake Worth Lagoon AreaLake Worth Lagoon Area

• 34 km (21 miles) long

• 1165 sq km (450 sq mile) watershed

• 1.3 million people

• Urban and Ag effects

• Canal (4) drainage

• 65% bulkheaded 2001(81%, 2010)

• 19% mangrove fringe,~283 acres remainwww.co.palm-beach.fl.us/erm/lakes/estuarine/lake-worth-lagoon/pdf/LWLI_Report_2010-11.pdf

http://www.co.palm-beach.fl.us/erm/lakes/estuarine/%0Blake-worth-lagoon/pdf/LWLI_Report_2010-11.pdf

Snook Islands Natural AreaSnook Islands Natural Area

• Planned 1998• Started 2003• Completed in 2005• Restored 100 acres

of wetland habitat• Stabilized mangrove

planting areas with 28,000 tons of limestone boulders

• Created 2.2 acresof oyster reefs

www.co.palm-beach.fl.us/erm

Carson, D.C. 2007. Radical Damage Calls for Radical Remediation: The Snook Islands Environmental Enhancement Project, Palm Beach County, Florida. Proceedings of 34th Annual Conference on Ecosystem Restoration and Creation, pp24-37.

Project ObjectiveProject ObjectiveMeasure and compare growth, abundance, reproductive effort, and health of the Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin, 1791) at two natural sites (Ibis Isle and MacArthur State Park) and an Environ. Enhancement Project Area (Snook Island) in Lake Worth Lagoon.

MethodsMethods?English (US)

http://www.google.com/earth/

MacArthur

Ibis Isle

Snook

Islands

InnerOuter

MethodsMethods

MethodsMethods• Monthly sampling from March

2008 to February 2010 • Surveys in April & October• Water temperature, salinity,

and dissolve oxygen were measured during sampling

• Five to six adult oysters were collected at each site to determine condition index:(dry meat/dry shell) x 100

• Five to six adult oysters were collected at each site to determine reproductive stage by histology and Dermo infection by RFTM

MethodsMethods• Six sets of 6 oyster shells each were placed on T-bars to

monitor larval recruitment monthly at each site.

• Growth was measured on oysters naturally recruited onto a shell array (25 oyster shells on a 60x60 cm piece of wire mesh) placed at each site.

Results - EnvironmentalResults - Environmental

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TS Fay, 18-20 Aug.

SALINITYSALINITY

DISSOLVED OXYGENDISSOLVED OXYGEN

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Results – Population SurveyResults – Population Survey

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OYSTER DENSITY*OYSTER DENSITY*

*Quadrat samples that contained no oysters were not used to determine density.

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OYSTER VERTICAL DISTRIBUTION – SNOOK ISLANDOYSTER VERTICAL DISTRIBUTION – SNOOK ISLAND

Results – Sampled OystersResults – Sampled Oysters

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OYSTER SHELL HEIGHTOYSTER SHELL HEIGHT

OYSTER WHOLE WEIGHTOYSTER WHOLE WEIGHT

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CONDITION INDEXCONDITION INDEX

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DERMO INTENSITYDERMO INTENSITY

DERMO PREVALENCEDERMO PREVALENCE

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PARASITESPARASITES

NEMATOPSISNEMATOPSIS BUCEPHALUSBUCEPHALUS TYLOCEPHALUMTYLOCEPHALUM

EUTIMAEUTIMA TURBELLARIANTURBELLARIAN

PREDATORSPREDATORS

Oyster Drill

Florida Crown Conch

PREDATORSPREDATORS

Stylochus

Pea Crab

Fish eggs on shell

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♀

♂

SEX RATIO PROPORTIONSSEX RATIO PROPORTIONS(Male: Female: Undifferentiated)(Male: Female: Undifferentiated)

• MacArthur: 0.21:0.40:0.39 (n=119)

• Ibis Isle: 0.17:0.58:0.25 (n=118)

• Snook Island: 0.19:0.53:0.28 (n=141)

• n.b.: 2-3x more females, expected

Proportion (%) of sampled oysters at mature reproductive stages (stage 5-7)from sites in Lake Worth Lagoon: A) March 2008-February 2009 and

B) March 2009-November 2009. n.b. Snook Island is combined inner/outer.

0102030405060708090

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MacArthur

Ibis Isle

Snook Island

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Ibis Isle

Snook Island

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50.6SE +4.4

SE +4.4 79.7SE +4.9

SE +2.7

LARVAL RECRUITMENTLARVAL RECRUITMENT

• Year 1MacArthur: 0.7 spat/shell Ibis Isle: 4.9 spat/shell

Snook-Inner: 10.0 spat/shell Snook-Outer: 7.0 spat/shell

• Year 2MacArthur: 1.1 spat/shell Ibis Isle: 3.2 spat/shell Snook-Inner: 18.1 spat/shellSnook-Outer: 8.5 spat/shell

Mean Annual RecruitmentMean Annual Recruitment

Barnacles

Oyster spat

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ARRAY OYSTERS – GROWTHARRAY OYSTERS – GROWTH

n.b.

SUMMARY - RESULTSSUMMARY - RESULTS• Water Quality Parameters: Little differences between sites, except MP

higher salinity and SI and II lower in summer; not below acceptable levels.

• Oyster Density: Average density in the fall of year one at SI (54/m2) was similar to MP (42/m2), but lower than II (291/m2). In year two SI was similar (186/m2) to both natural sites (MP=132/m2, II=208/m2). No vertical distribution at SI.

• Condition Index: CI of oysters varied (1.21-4.24), but mean (±s.d.) was similar between sites (SI=2.98±0.55, MP=2.91±0.71, II=2.54±0.47).

• Reproduction: Bi-modal reproduction (late-spring/early-summer and fall) was evident at SI in both years, but only in year one at MP and II.

• Larval Recruitment: Overall mean: SI highest (10.4±16.3 spat/shell), followed by II (3.9±9.0 spat/shell) and MP (0.8±1.0 spat/shell).

• Juvenile Growth: Final shell height of recruited juveniles was less at SI (34 mm) compared to the IbIs (51 mm) and MP (46 mm) in year one, but similar in year two (SI=37; II=38; MP=41 mm).

• Health: Dermo intensity ranged from 0-4.5 (Mackin scale), but mean intensity (±s.d.) was low (SI=0.9±0.7, II=1.0±1.0, MP=1.1±1.0) with a mean prevalence at SI of 59%, II of 67% and MP of 66%. No MSX (Haplosporodium nelsoni) was found at any of the sites. Other parasites found included gregarine protozoa Nematopsis sp., turbellarians, trematode Bucephalus, cestode Tylocephalum, cnidarians Eutima sp. and pea crabs Pinnotheres sp.

CONCLUSIONSCONCLUSIONS

• Oyster beds/reefs in Lake Worth Lagoon are as productive or more productive than oyster reefs in other east Florida locales.

• Annual variation in oyster productivity may be the result of natural or man-made variations in environmental parameters (e.g., temperature, salinity, phytoplankton, fresh-water releases).

• Created oyster reefs, as exemplified by Snook Island, are as “productive” as natural reefs.

• Productivity may be enhanced by carefully considering placement of created reefs in relation to natural oyster beds.

Take Home MessageTake Home MessageLWL is a productive system with patches of healthy oyster populations that can be

expanded by providing substrate and relying on natural recruitment.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSACKNOWLEDGEMENTS• Bill Arnold, Steve Geiger and Melanie Parker of

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission,

• Aswani Volety (FGCU) and Jim Winstead,• R. LeRoy Creswell of the St. Lucie Cooperative

Extension Service,• Paul Wills (HBOI) and Ed Proffitt (FAU)• Staff of MacArthur State Park, Ibis Isle and the

Lake Worth Municipal Golf Course,• Federico Prahl, Michelle Harangody and William

Krebs (HBOI), and• Palm Beach – Environmental Resources

Management personnel and support (Project #2008-0404)

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Assessment of Eastern Oysters, Crassostrea virginica, at an Environmental Enhancement Project Area...

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