March Update from the Apalachicola Bay System Initiative

Pathway to Recovery Reef balls and layer cakes, two types of substrate used in restoration to encourage oyster spat settlement, staged for deployment as part of Dr. Andy Shantz's upcoming oyster habitat restoration experiments in Apalachicola Bay Photo credit: Rachel Walsh, ABSI Outreach Specialist The Apalachicola Bay System Initiative Newsletter - March 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) met on March 30th, 2022 at the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve facility. The meeting began with reports from the CAB working groups and subcommittees followed by a science update from ABSI Principal Investigator, Dr. Sandra Brooke. The CAB Outreach Subcommittee then led a discussion on development of a plan for hosting community presentations and soliciting public feedback on the ABSI Draft Framework Plan priorities. Next, CAB member Jim Estes (FWC) led a discussion on potential future management strategies for a wild oyster fishery in Apalachicola Bay. The CAB also held a discussion with Dr. Ed Camp (UF) in which members had the opportunity to provide input regarding restoration and management scenarios and performance measures for development of the fisheries (socioecological) predictive model.  To ensure complete transparency, the entire history of the deliberations from each of the 18 meetings (15 CAB meetings and 3 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. Next CAB Meeting: May 25th, 8:30am-3:00pm -- 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 for public comment at the end of each meeting. Meeting Agenda can be found here: https://marinelab.fsu.edu/absi/cab/ ABSI Outreach Opportunities: April 30th, 10am-3pm -- FSUCML Open House, St. Teresa, Florida (https://marinelab.fsu.edu/outreach_education/special-events/open-house/) May 6th 2022, 1:30pm-5:30pm -- ANERR Estuaries Day, Eastpoint, Florida (https://www.apalachicolareserve.com/events/) June 7th, 2022 -- Presentation at Franklin County Commission Meeting ABSI Science Update Subtidal tonging surveys have concluded, and preliminary results show more oysters (mostly juveniles) on the east side of the Bay during 2021-22 than the previous year, but fewer on the west side than in 2021. Subtidal spat traps showed spat recruitment on both the east and west sides of the Bay. Graduate student Jenny Bueno has continued intertidal drone surveys, creating digital elevation models that can detect oyster clusters. This will allow wider-scale monitoring of intertidal reef oyster populations over time. Dr. Andy Shantz and graduate student Donaven Baughman have been examining the effect of salinity on juvenile oysters. Results show that spat survival is significantly lower in high salinity contexts. In addition, oysters exposed to chemical cues from predatory oyster drills showed evidence of increasing shell thickness, possibly as a defense mechanism. Using FWC data, Dr. Tara Stewart Merrill found that combined shell pests and disease levels appear to reduce the condition (health) of subtidal oysters. When combined with preliminary data from intertidal oysters, there is evidence that the disease impacts are less pronounced in the intertidal zone compared to the subtidal zone. Dr. Josh Breithaupt has been looking at several questions related to biogeochemistry in the Bay. He has found that organic carbon in Apalachicola Bay sediments has been increasing since the 1960s although river flows have decreased. He is also looking at potential impacts of mangrove encroachment in the Bay and has found that oyster shells dissolve faster in mesocosms with mangrove litter in the soil. The movement of mangroves into Apalachicola Bay may therefore have impacts on intertidal oyster reefs. See the March 30th meeting recording and presentation of Dr. Brooke's science update: https://marinelab.fsu.edu/absi/cab/ Oyster drills (pictured), an oyster predator, were used by graduate student Donaven Baughman to examine the effects of predator chemical cues on oyster growth Photo credit: Donaven Baughman, ABSI Graduate Student Black mangroves growing on an oyster reef on Little St. George Island Photo credit: Dr. Josh Breithaupt, ABSI Scientist Dr. Josh Breithaupt has found that organic carbon has increased in over 95% of the Bay, sometimes by up to 1-2%, compared to 1963.This observation warrants further investigation as it may indicate a change in carbon dynamics in the Bay. Graduate student Donaven Baughman monitors growth of oyster spat with and without the presence of chemical cues from predatory oyster drills Photo credit: Donaven Baughman, ABSI Graduate Student ABSI is hiring! ABSI is currently seeking a postdoctoral scholar to join our interdisciplinary team of researchers working in quantitative ecology to support our work on the decline and recovery in Apalachicola Bay. Visit FSUCML's website for more information and to apply online: https://marinelab.fsu.edu/people/job-openings/ Join the ABSI Newsletter Mailing List

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