Oyster, Plastics Surveys Available

MOBILE COUNTY, Ala. — Mobile Baykeeper has announced that Mississippi State University’s Gulf Oyster Survey 2022 is open for respondents to share their opinion about oyster restoration along the Gulf Coast. Its goal is to better understand the importance of oysters among the region’s households, how much residents support oyster restoration efforts and to estimate the value of restoration benefits. The work is funded by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) RESTORE Science program, and responses will be shared with policymakers, resource managers and other stakeholders. Mobile Baykeeper also has its own NOAA survey, to help the organization, which supports clean water for Mobile and Baldwin counties, reduce single-use plastics. A NOAA Marine Debris Prevention grant is funding the related program, Reduce the Use. The eight-question survey, open to Mobile residents, is to help Mobile Baykeeper better gauge its effectiveness. Mobile Baykeeper is encouraging source prevention by calling on local businesses to reduce their use of single-use plastics by 1,000 pounds a year. It is also helping businesses switch to more sustainable products and working to generate positive public relations for these businesses.