This project started in Fall of 2025 by our second year students Chloe and Emi who are gathering data on oyster spat recruitment in the Santa Rosa Sound. Special thank you to the Gulf Reach Institute for giving our second years the opportunity to be Gulf Reach Youth Ambassadors and supporting the journey with their project. A final presentation will be presented by our students in June of 2026 at the Gulf Ambassador Youth Summit. 

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Oyster reefs are among the most productive ecosystems, so much so that reef-building oysters in the sound are considered keystone species. This is due to not only their reef-building quality, but also their ability to filter water, provide habitat, and alter our economy. Their reef-building quality protects our shorelines from erosion by specifically reducing wave energy. Additionally, oysters are filter feeders, meaning they filter the water and feed on microscopic organisms like plankton. As they filter feed, they also remove pollutants, excess nutrients, and sediments from the water, meaning they have a significant impact on the water quality of their ecosystem. Oysters are important economically, such as the seafood industry, further supporting their key role in our environment. 

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The students constructed 10 PVC trees that each have two stringers with 6 shells each. 2 of each are deployed at our 5 sites and are anchored in the sediment. Each tree has a label naming our permit from FWC and contact information. Twice a month they test water quality at each site, and once a month they count spat recruitment. Spat recruitment is when oyster larvae settles, or recruits, on hard substrates, such as the reused oyster shells. The reused oyster shells were our best choice for them to grow on due to their natural composition. 

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Understanding the rates of spat recruitment in our environment is an overall indicator of oyster health. High rates of oyster spat settlement indicate a healthy and reproducing population of oysters.