VOGs are recycled oyster shells from local restaurants strung together on a rope or wire and suspended from a dock or seawall to create surfaces for juvenile oysters (also known as spat or oyster larvae) to attach and develop.

We hear a lot about sea grasses in Tampa Bay, but there’s another player in the game, oysters! In fact, Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) play a critical role in the presence or absence of sea grasses. The opposite is true too. Oysters are known for being amazing filters, helping to clean and clear up our waters. The clearer water oysters produce allows more sunlight to penetrate the water, therefore providing more sunlight for the seagrasses that need it. Seagrasses on the other hand do a remarkable job capturing carbon, helping to lessen the effects of more acidic waters we are seeing with increases in carbon dioxide. It’s a win-win!

More on why oysters are awesome:

• Oysters provide critical habitat for juvenile fish, birds, crabs, shrimp, sponges, worms and more!
• They are an essential food source for a variety of birds, invertebrates and fish
• Not essential, but oysters are a food source for us too (if you like them, which is not me)
• Oyster shell can be repurposed into roads, cement and other substrate products
• Oyster reefs can slow down wave action, helping to prevent shoreline erosion
• One oyster can filter 3 to 12 gallons of water per day!

Tampa Bay and the Gulf can be cleaner and healthier as we support more oysters to grow.

Looking back and looking forward:

Tampa Bay has seen a dramatic decline in oysters, an often overlooked story. The importance and abundance of oysters to native people is evident through middens (mounds of used shell) along the shorelines of Tampa Bay (ever been to the mound at Philippe Park?). And believe it or not, areas such as Papys Bayou, the Little Manatee River and portion of Old Tampa Bay supported a thriving oyster industry through the mid-1900s. The area once supported 2,000 acres of oyster reefs, with the latest survey showing only 171 acres remaining, an 85% decline. As the Tampa Bay Watershed is home to millions of residents, and growing, our impacts to water quality (and therefore oysters) are likely to increase.

Why oysters populations are declining:

• Altered freshwater flows from tidal tributaries due to altered land uses upstream
• Reduction in habitat from dredge and fill construction activities and mining of oyster shells
• Loss of viable surfaces to establish oyster reefs due to build up of sediments

How you can help our oyster populations to increase:

VOGs are essentially mini oyster reefs that can have significant local benefits for our local waters and wildlife. Whether you have a dock or not, you can contribute to the growing VOG community.

Step 1: Educate Yourself

There’s so much more to learn about oysters than what’s here. Take a deeper dive in our Tidal Science Oyster Watch online course, check out our more in-depth blog, or listen to our podcast.

Step 2 (Where applicable): Install Vertical Oyster Gardens

Vertical oyster gardens can easily be installed in areas where we already see oysters growing to enhance the habitat for them to grow. If you’re interested in installs VOGs on your dock, email me, Lara Milligan here.

Vertical oyster gardens strung along a dock. 

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