Oyster Reefs

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If you were to travel to New York two centuries ago,you would observe plentiful oysters lining the coast. These mollusks boosted the New York economy by giving people an accessible and inexpensive snack,but more importantly,oysters protected New York's shoreline.Like coral reefs, oyster reefs absorb incoming wave energy,which prevents coastal erosion.Additionally,oysters support a wide range of species,boosting biodiversity.However,nowadays oysters have been over-fished relentlessly,leaving American coastlines undefended against storm surges.Thankfully,many environmentalists and scientists are coming up with artificial solutions to combat shore erosion.

Many coastal cities opt for traditional seawalls to replace the natural oyster reefs.However,these seawalls don?t absorb energy the way reefs do,and instead allow it to increase wave energy in nearby environments,destroying natural areas for the sake of protecting cities. Start-up company Reefy intends to solve this problem through its use of concrete building-blocks that look similar to Legos.These blocks have holes going through them,so wave energy decreases as it passes through, instead of being deflected as in the case of most seawalls.Furthermore, the blocks are covered in something called ?Reefy Paint,?which is a calcium carbonate blend that allows organisms to attach to the substrate.Through this,the blocks can be used as a foundation for nature to build from. Reefy?s blocks can also be customized for different shorelines,as the blocks can be formed in a variety of shapes. One thing the blocks don?t directly address however are oysters' natural filtration abilities.Oysters are able to filter water pollution,which naturally helps the environment.With no set plan on placing oysters on the blocks,Reefy can?t guarantee the blocks will have the same ecological benefit as natural oyster reefs. Thankfully,many non-profits such as the Billion Oyster project in New York have been established to ensure the restoration of oyster reefs.These reefs are made artificially by adding a mixture of old oyster shells and other hard substrates to areas on the ocean floor that already have existing oyster larvae.Through this,the oyster population has a stable foundation from which to re-establish.No matter what the solution,it?s important to find environmentally friendly ways to prevent coastal erosion.