Olympia Oyster Restoration
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Since 2001 the Puget Sound Restoration Fund and a large array of partners including National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, NOAA Restoration Center NW, Tribal Nations, and Marine Resource Committees have been experimenting with how to enhance the remnant population of Olympia oyster (Ostreola conchaphila).
Summaries of olympia oyster life history if cound at USFWS 1983 and an overview of reestablishment efforts in Peter-Contesse & Peabody 2005.
Numerous technical reports are in the hands of PSRF and it would be useful to have additional review and synthesis of the many issues associated with these populations and their recovery. We are aware of the following efforts have been impelemented:
- WDFW has recently completed a update of its stock rebuilding plan.
- Jefferson County Marine Resource Committee has completed preliminary work for Discovery Bay documented in Lull 2010
- PSRF has completed extensive work in Liberty Bay near Scandia to enhance shell habitat for a strong remnant population partially documented in PSRF 2008 scandia.
- PSRF and The Nature Conservancy completed experimental trials in oyster reestablishement at Woodard Bay in Henderson Inlet, South Puget Sound as part of their conservation leasing project there, partially documented in PSRF 2008 woodard
- PSRF and The Nature Conservancy placed shell at Frye Cove in Eld Inlet, South Puget Sound
- Cordell et al 2007 describes observations of change in epibenthic populations following shell placement to enhance and Olympia oyster population (the Liberty Bay project described above]].
- Future work is planned in the vicinity of the Union River Estuary to observe interaction between olympia oyster and eelgrass.
- The largest remnant population in Puget Sound is believed to be in North Bay, near the Coulter Creek Estuary and Sherwood Creek Estuary.
- Zu Ermgassen et al 2016 provides an east coast example of setting oyster restoration objectives based on specific ecosystem service targets.
- The Olympia Historical Society published an article documenting the history of Olympia Oyster.
