Ecosystem Restoration: Enhancing Ecosystem Services with Floating Aquaculture

Abstract

Restoration ecologists recognize the need for restoring ecosystem servicesin sustainable ways that meet societal needs. In the UK, Ireland, Australia,and some US states the goal is restoring native oyster reefs. In otherstates, failures at restoration due to poor water quality and predation havefocused restoration activities on techniques that work, restoring intertidalreefs and generating living shorelines that reduce or reverse erosion. In theUnited States, restoring water quality and reducing or reversing erosion aresocietally accepted entry points for repairing estuarine ecosystems. Thisstudy is an overview of the current status of oyster reef restoration andprovide a novel approach called “oyster reef in a bag”. Combining oysterreef restoration efforts with existing floating oyster aquaculture technologygenerates novel ecosystems that are a combination of biofouling and oysterreef communities. These novel ecosystems could be a practical beginningto improve water quality, mitigate erosion and restore higher trophic levelecosystem services.

“Omics” Techniques Used in Marine Biofouling Studies

“…Coral reefs are the largest fouling communities in the world, occupying an area as large as 284,000 km 2 and is a habitat for many other marine species [ 3 ]. Mussel beds and oyster reefs are other examples of large fouling communities [ 19 ].…”

“…Due to anthropogenic effects, coral reefs and marine ecosystems are under constant threat. However, restoration of damaged ecosystems, like coral and oyster reefs, is possible by enhancement of settlement of larvae of these species onto new substrata [ 19 ]. Larvae of corals and oysters require specific chemical cues/pheromones that can be used in order to trigger the release of gametes and larval settlement in the laboratory [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ].…”