OceanWatch Australia's 5 year program to provide an alternative tool for shoreline erosion focuses on turning old oyster shells into living shorelines. The Brisbane Water Estuary site includes a treatment site constructed with three structures consisting of 5 m replicates of 2-tiered living shoreline structures on a patch of substrate in a disused oyster lease. Structures are custom-made coir (coconut fibre) mesh bags filled with a mixture of oyster clumps and lose shell collected from the site. The project demonstrated an overall positive effect and ability for ecological enhancement within estuaries of New South Wales.
Shellfish
Method: Substrate provision
Shellfish species: Saccostrea glomerata
Hybrid structure: Custom-made coir (coconut fibre) bag filled with lose, dead oyster shell
Approach
Shellfish
Geographic context
Estuary
Organisation responsible
OceanWatch Australia
Primary objective
Coastal protection and habitat restoration
Coastal hazard
Erosion
Asset vulnerable
Natural
Date of completion
2020
Source of project funding
Australian Government, Sydney Coastal Councils Group, Greater Sydney Local Land Services, Landcare NSW and the NSW Recreational Fishing Trust
Project details and images © OceanWatch Australia 2020.