Oyster Cultch Deployment Begins Off Dauphin Island

The Alabama Wildlife Federation (AWF) has announced that limestone for an oyster restoration project has arrived at its Dauphin Island destination and is being deployed off Cedar Point Beach in Heron Bay to create an oyster cultch to support and restore native Alabama oyster populations. The privately funded project used limestone donated by Vulcan Materials Co. of Birmingham. The limestone was transported from Tuscumbia, Alabama, via the Tennessee, Tombigbee and Mobile rivers by Cooper Marine of St. Petersburg, Florida, which donated its work. Additionally, AWF donated $100,000 for the deployment of the cultch, and the Coastal Land Trust, the Jernigan Foundation, the J.L. Bedsole

Foundation and PowerSouth donated equal amounts to match AWF dollar for dollar for the task. The Cedar Point Beach Oyster Restoration Project involves 77 acres of water bottom located just west of Dauphin Island Parkway in Heron Bay. The site is a historic oyster reef area next to some of the most productive oyster reefs in Alabama waters. Scott Bannon, director of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Marine Resources Division, said the project would have cost his division nearly $500,000.