- A team from Valdosta State University is working on an innovative way to help oysters grow off the coast of Wakulla County.
- They're working in the water near Panacea to try the new method.
- Watch the video above to see why their work is so important.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Neighbors in Panacea know, oysters are the foundation of healthy marine life here on the coast. I'm Kenzie Krueger in Panacea where students from Valdosta State University have found a new way to restore oysters in these waters.
"We're developing material for oyster restoration that attracts to larvae."
Growing oysters in the water off the Wakulla County coast using a new approach. Dr. Thomas Manning is a professor at Valdosta State University. He says worldwide, oyster populations are down almost 90 percent.
"We've been working on it on and off for a dozen years now because every time we do an experiment it lasts a year to see if the oysters grow or not."
He and his team of researchers are working to restore the oyster population here.
"So we kept making modifications until we got it to where it is." His students Amelia Marshall and Sarah Rourke have been conducting research.
Marshall says growing up near the coast motivated her to get involved. "I saw firsthand the impact of coastal development and how that impacts our local ecosystem."
One adult oyster filters 50 gallons of water a day so the oyster bar will do this multiple times.
Rourke says they're hoping to help expand this research even further. "I want to help Dr. Manning continue design more efficient and scalable oyster discs."
They say oysters help prevent shoreline erosion which is something we've seen in this area like at Mashes Sands. The oyster work is in collaboration with Gulf Specimen Marine lab.
Manning says the goal is to get younger generations involved so they can protect the ecosystem and marine life. "They're trying to solve a problem I was just not in the lab. See if this happens. I'm just a real problem and it's not just the worldwide thing."
Right now they're in the process of getting this project patented.
