Our new “Oyster Reef Ecosystem” exhibit: striped burrfish, blennies, skilletfish, spider crabs, etc.
By Virginia Fishes In UncategorizedOyster reefs are one of the most productive habitats in the Chesapeake Bay; hundreds of species of aquatic plants and animals grow on and among their shells. The oysters themselves improve water quality and clarity by filtering sediment and plankton out of the water. The natural accumulations of live oysters that have settled upon the shells of their previous generations – essentially what constitutes “oyster reefs”- also serve as natural breakwaters that protect shorelines from erosion.


“Before” Oyster castle with no oyster growth


“After” Colonized oyster castle
Last month, we constructed an exhibit to represent the “before” and “after” of an artificial reef. The left of the exhibit displays an unsettled diamond while the right side displays a diamond from an artificial reef Dr. Burke placed in the Bay; the results are striking. Every square inch of surface area on the “after” diamond is completely covered in massive adult oysters and mussels, as pictured above. All of these shells in turn host: sponges, bryozoans, algae, amphipods, isopods, worms, crustaceans, and a large variety of fishes. It is a complete ecosystem in miniature!


Naked gobies (Gobiosoma bosci) live in the nooks and crannies of the reef.


Oyster toadfish (Opsanus tau) are a stealthy ambush predator that often bury in substrate beneath the reef.


Like the oyster toadfish, mantis shrimp (Squilla empusa) will hide in tunnels they’ve dug around the rock, and ambush any prey that come along.


Hermit crabs (long clawed on top, striped below) are very common scavengers in oyster rocks.


A common spider crab (Libinia emarginata) decorates himself with pieces of a beard sponge to blend into its environment.
By displaying the actual results of the restoration work and how rich the reefs are in species that rely on them – not to mention the commercial worth of the oysters to humans – we are displaying what is at stake besides the fate of the oysters themselves: the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Once known for its natural riches, it is increasingly known for a system badly out of balance. A system in which the American oyster once lay at the very heart.
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