Project Description:

The Carancahua Bay Oyster Reef Study is a science-based pilot project led by the Matagorda Bay Foundation (MBF) to test oyster settlement success and reef-building strategies in a protected area of West Matagorda Bay.  Located between Palacios and Port Lavaca, Carancahua Bay is an ideal site for research and restoration due to its closed status, meaning no oyster harvesting is allowed. 

MBF has completed biological surveys of two restoration sites and plans to deploy 14 test cages to assess oyster recruitment.  Seven cages will be filled with bare cultch (control group), and seven will contain cultch pre-seeded with oyster spat at the Palacios Marine Agriculture Research Station (PMAR) (experimental group). 

These cages—spaced 1 to 3 meters apart and built with crab-trap-style coated wire—will be monitored over the course of a year to evaluate oyster survival, spat presence, percent encrusting organisms, and overall abundance.  Cages will include escape vents for small fish and crustaceans, and all captured organisms will be safely released during sampling.  

Results will be shared with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) to support future oyster reef restoration strategies in Carancahua Bay and beyond.