Limestone On Its Way To Replenish Oyster Beds

Oyster beds around Cedar Point will soon be replenished by 4,600 T. of limestone, AL.com reported. In partnership with the Alabama Wildlife Federation, Vulcan Materials Co. gave the limestone from its Pride Quarry in Tuscumbia, Alabama, to be used as oyster cultch, material on which oyster larvae can attach and grow. The limestone was loaded onto a barge operated by Cooper Marine and shipped down the Tennessee and Tombigbee rivers, eventually entering Mobile Bay. It will be placed on 50 acres of seabed in Heron Bay, near Cedar Point Beach. The site is part of a historical oyster reef area adjacent to oyster reefs that are currently productive. Cooper Marine covered part of the barging costs, and the federation covered the remaining costs from its oyster restoration funds.