VIERA, Fla. – Brevard County and Brevard Zoo officials are seeking volunteers to build more oyster reefs this weekend and in June.
New 6 partner Florida Today reports that officials and volunteers will place bags of oyster shells, mats with oyster shells attached and bags of live oysters into the lagoon.
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Volunteers recently delivered 260 bags of oysters and about 1,170 mats with oyster shells attached for reef making on Merritt Island this weekend.
One oyster can clean up to 25 to 50 gallons of water per day.
To clear algae that began exploding in the lagoon in 2011, hundreds of volunteers have put thousands of oysters in the estuary in the past few years, through a Brevard Zoo and Brevard County government partnership. They created pilot reefs at Nicol Park in Port St. John, Long Point Park in Melbourne Beach and on Merritt Island.
No one knows what will happen to the lagoon’s shellfish in long-term brown tide blooms. So biologists are experimenting with different ways to bring some of nature’s best water filters back into the lagoon. Widespread wildlife deaths in recent years including manatees, dolphins and pelicans, as well as thousands of fish last month have scientists and others pondering new ideas.
The reef-building requires moderate to intense physical labor, officials say. They also ask that volunteers wear closed-toed shoes and clothes they don’t mind getting dirty.