Oyster Domes

Why are Oyster Domes Placed in Tampa Bay?

Reef Balls® (or oyster domes) help rebuild oyster habitat in areas where it has been lost due to the loss of natural shorelines—areas like Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa or the Vinoy Basin in St. Petersburg. These urbanized, densely populated areas are lacking in natural buffers that help reduce pollutants from flowing off our streets and into Tampa Bay. But with the help of Tampa Bay Watch, the natural habitat is getting a boost—through oyster domes!

Originally designed to rebuild reefs around the world, oyster domes (marine-friendly concrete domes) and oyster bars (recycled oyster shells placed in mesh sacks) are placed strategically around Tampa Bay, including eroding shorelines, dredged canals, and other locations. 

More oysters mean a cleaner bay. Natural water filters, oysters are also a food source for other bay inhabitants. Increasing oyster populations means a reduction in erosion and better overall water quality while restoring hard bottom. Both the Oyster Dome program and the Oyster Bar program seek to accomplish these goals. 

In 2007 and 2008 alone, almost 3,000 oyster domes were installed by Tampa Bay Watch staff members, community members, and partner organizations.


How Do Oyster Domes Help Tampa Bay? 

IMPROVED WATER FILTRATION. Urban runoff can add high amounts of nutrients into the bay. Oysters—biological filters that can clean up to ten gallons of water per hour—will filter this runoff to help keep the bay healthy. 

LESS EROSION. Domes weaken the strong waves that cause erosion, reducing the wave energy that reaches the shoreline. 

NEW HABITAT. The holes in the oyster domes provide hiding places for fish and crabs. In fact, they help make it possible for small fish to hide long enough to become the big fish we like to catch! 

FOOD SOURCE FOR FISH AND WILDLIFE. The rough, hard texture of the domes makes it easier for oysters to grow. Oysters not only help cleanse the water, but are used by other species for food. The oyster domes also provide a home for shrimp, crabs, and small fish that are eaten by larger fish and wildlife. 

Oysters are a food source for birds and fish.
Many small fish, crabs, shrimp and other critters
live among the oysters and provide
food for larger fish and wildlife.

 

You Can Help! 

Oyster domes are made with the help of students and teachers, community groups and volunteers. Tampa Bay Watch’s mobile trailer brings this program to schools and project sites. Volunteers install domes when oysters are spawning in late winter through the spring. You can also help Tampa Bay Watch build oyster domes! Click here for more information on the dome building program.


Curious about the process to make and install oyster domes in bay-area waters? Click here for a link to our informative gallery page!

For more information about the oyster dome program, please contact Chris Sutton at Tampa Bay Watch.