December Update from the Apalachicola Bay System Initiative

Pathway to Recovery FSU graduate student Emily Fuqua holds oysters from ABSI's research lease.  These oysters will be used in restoration experiments. The Apalachicola Bay System Initiative Newsletter - December 2022 The ABSI mission: to gain insight into the root causes of decline of the Apalachicola Bay ecosystem with a focus on oyster reefs, and ultimately, with guidance from the Community Advisory Board and input from stakeholders and the public, to develop science-informed restoration and ecosystem-based management plans focused on the recovery of oyster reefs and the health of Apalachicola Bay. News from the Community Advisory Board The Community Advisory Board (CAB) meeting on November 30th at the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (ANERR). The meeting began with reports from the CAB working groups and subcommittees followed by a  science update from ABSI Faculty researchers, Dr. Andrew Shantz, Dr. Josh Breithaupt, and Dr. Tara Stewart Merrill. Dr. Shantz presented his analysis of ABSI tonging surveys for oyster abundance across the Bay. The data indicate that small limerock has a higher spat settlement than other materials but few spat make it through to adults. Larger oysters were observed on the shell and large limerock. Then, Dr. Stewart Merrill presented information on parasitism and highlighted dermo disease being found in oysters in Apalachicola Bay (see science update below for more). Next, Dr. Breithaupt discussed his research about using sediment organic matter for assessing the abundance and function of oysters on intertidal and subtidal reefs and their relationship to the overall health of Apalachicola Bay. Finally, Dr. Ed Camp, (University of Florida Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences), reviewed his model simulation results including updated harvest months, uncertainty in closures, uncertainty in shell dynamics, and annual restoration. Ed is an interdisciplinary scientist who focuses on the ecology and human dimension aspects of managing fisheries & aquaculture. Oyster Recovery and Restoration ABSI held two workshops in mid-October to present the most recent information on oyster recovery in the Bay and to gather input from oystermen and the public. FWC staff and ABSI researchers teamed up to share the latest details on oyster sampling and research. While some oyster recovery has been observed, the vast majority of the potential reef habitat areas remain degraded with few live oysters. Restoration experiments to test the best substrate for growth and areas for recovery are ongoing with a new study being planned for 2023. Results from these studies are intended to inform future large-scale restoration of some reefs in the Bay. Presentations from these workshops can be found HERE. To ensure complete transparency, the entire history of the deliberations from each of the 24 meetings (20 CAB meetings and 4 Oystermen's Workshops) since March 2020, including copies of all presentations and meeting recordings, are available on the ABSI Community Advisory Board website. Note: Due to COVID-19, meetings of the CAB took place virtually using ZOOM from May 2020 to January 2022. The CAB resumed in-person meetings in March 2022. CAB Meeting: February 1st, 2023, 8:30am-2:30pm -- ANERR Multi-Purpose Room This meeting will be held in-person at the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (ANERR) facility if public health conditions allow (or held via Zoom if needed). Members of the public are encouraged to attend and listen in. A public Zoom option will be available. There is room for public comment at the end of each meeting. Meeting Agenda Coming Soon https://fsu.zoom.us/j/92598985223 ABSI Science Highlight Dr. Stewart Merrill presented information on parasitism and disease of eastern oysters. Dermo disease is well known for causing mass mortality in oysters along the Eastern seaboard. While we know the disease is here in Apalachicola Bay, how this disease affects our local oysters is less clear. Dermo disease is caused by the single-celled protozoan parasite Perkinsus marinus that infects the blood cells and tissues of the oyster (see the picture to the right), and Dr. Stewart Merrill will be running experiments to investigate how Dermo impacts oyster feeding, growth, and survival. Additionally, Dr. Stewart Merrill has found evidence of a flatworm parasite in Apalachicola oysters - Bucephalus sp. This parasite lives in the oyster gonads and literally castrates the oyster, potentially causing spawning problems. Once this parasite takes Photo Credit: National Science Foundation hold of an adult oyster, the oyster will no longer be able to reproduce. See the figure below (data courtesy of FWC) for information on where this parasite is being seen in Apalachicola Bay. APPLY HERE ABSI and FWC FAQs The ABSI team has developed a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) in collaboration with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). This is a working document, meaning that as more data and information become available, we will update the page accordingly. For questions or comments, please reach out to fsucml-absi@fsu.edu. Thank you! If you have questions about the FISHERY CLOSURE - check out these Q&As from FWC If you have questions about the SCIENCE and RESTORATION EXPERIMENTS in the Bay - check out these Q&As from ABSI Join the ABSI Newsletter Mailing List We are always interested in hearing from you so if you have questions or comments, please send them to our email address, fsucml-absi@fsu.edu.  ‌  ‌  ‌

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