Florida Fishery Foundation providing oysters on a rope for water filtration
On May 21, Florida Fishery Foundation president George Halper gathered with island scout troops in Matlacha to collect oyster shells from restaurants like the Lazy Flamingo and Miceli’s in order to help keep local waters clean.
“We drill a hole, and put a rope through them. We tie a knot about every three or four inches, so we have a chain of oysters,” Halper said. “We tie the rope to the docks and lift it just off the bottom. It structured for fish immediately. Because oysters are clean it’s a clean substrate. Baby oysters, called spat, now have something to attach to. In about a year or two, each of these oyster shells will have anywhere between 4 and 40 oysters on them. It just keeps getting bigger and bigger.”
Each live oyster, he said, takes about a year to mature and will filter up to 50 gallons of water per day. In roughly two years, he predicts over 20 million gallons of water per year will be processed through this natural filtration system.
Halper said this system is a better use of the shells than dumping them in a landfill, adding that this provides a wonderful structure for snook, snapper and various other fish to call home.
“It’s environmentally friendly — it’s like a fish-magnet,” Halper said. “You put them under the docks and now these fish have a place to hide.
“If anyone wants one of these, we’re not for profit. We give them away. If you have a saltwater dock, contact us and we’ll give you one or two that you can hang on your dock. We’re looking for more restaurants that will save their oyster for us.”
Oysters are one of the most prolific breeders on the planet, Halper said, with females able to have up to 20 million eggs and males carrying sperm into the billions.
“One of the problems we’re having right now is that manatee are starving to death because there’s not enough photosynthesis going on with the turtle grass, so this will help with the turtle grass also. It’s not just for cleaning the water basins — it’s many fold. We’re down 85 percent of the world’s oyster population, from over harvesting and pollution,” Halper said.
In the future, Halper said he foresees school presentations, in an effort to educate young people about the effort. They are currently looking for volunteers to drive the truck.
The foundation will be at D & D Marina on Pine Island Road in Matlacha this Saturday to build additional oysters ropes. For more about D & D Marina, visit https://www.loc8nearme.com/florida/matlacha/d-and-d-matlacha-bait-and-tackle-inc/6699133/
For additional information about the foundation or the work it does, visit flfisheryfoundation.com