Reef Innovations
Reef Innovations
  • Home
  • About
    • The Reef Ball Foundation
    • Eternal Reefs
  • Products & Specs
    • Reef Balls
      • Oyster Ball
      • Lo-Pro
      • Mini Bay
      • Bay Ball
      • Pallet Ball
      • Ultra Reef Ball
      • Super Ball
      • Supra Ball
      • Goliath Ball
      • Goliath Ball Modification
      • Goliath Breakwater Ring
      • Goliath Breakwater with Base
      • Goliath with Extended Tall Base
      • Reef Ball on Sloped Base
      • Table Top
      • Model Reef Balls
    • Layer Cakes
      • Oyster Layer Cake
      • Lo-Pro Layer Cake
      • Mini Layer Cake
      • Bay Layer Cake
      • Ultra Layer Cake
      • Pallet Layer Cake
      • Super Layer Cake
      • Goliath Layer Cake
    • Reef Cubes
      • A Cube
      • B Cube
      • C Cube
      • D Cube
      • E Cube
      • 2 tier Reef Cube
      • 3 tier Reef Cube
      • 4 tier Reef Cube
      • 5 tier Reef Cube
      • Reef Cube with attached Reef Ball
    • Other Modules
      • Anchor
      • Chanel Marker Habitat
      • Deep Cover
      • Eco-Rap
      • Juvenile Habitat IJV
      • Mangrove Cultivating Pot
      • Smart Reef
    • Product and Service Price List
  • Ecosystem/Services
    • Blue Carbon Credits
    • Breakwater Construction
    • Breakwater Design
    • Deployment
    • Design & Consulting
      • Site Evaluation & Surveys
      • Custom Designs & Models
    • Diving Services
    • Ecosystem Restoration
      • Coral
      • Living Shoreline / Living Breakwaters
        • Erosion Control Project – Checklist
      • Mangrove Restoration
      • Oyster Reefs
        • Reef Balls produce more oysters.
      • Docks & Along Seawalls – A great place for Reef Balls
    • Habitats
      • Deep Cover Protective Habitat
      • EFH = Essential Fish Habitat
      • Layer Cake Lobster Habitat
      • Micro Habitat
      • Under Dock Habitats
      • Use of Reef Balls in River’s
    • Monitoring
    • Reef Ball Training & QC
    • Side Scan Sonar & DGPS
    • Volunteer Projects
  • Projects
    • Africa – Jambiani 2015
    • Atlantic Ocean Western
      • Bahamas
        • Bahamas – Baha Mar 2014 Cable Beach
        • Castaway Cay – Disney Crewesline
        • Deadman’s Reef Snorkeling the Reef Balls
        • Paradise Cove Grand Bahamas
        • Halfmoon Cay
        • Coco Cay
      • Canada
      • Caribbean Reef Balls
        • Antigua
        • Barbados
        • Dominican Republic
          • Cadaques
          • GRAN DOMINICUS BEACH RESORT
          • Canola Hilton Submerged Reef Ball Breakwater
        • Curacao
        • Jamaica
        • Antigua
        • St Maarten
      • Grand Caymen
      • Montserrat
        • Monstserrat
      • Nova Scotia
      • Turks & Caicos Islands
        • Beaches – Reef Ball Project
        • Providenciales
        • Smiths Reef
        • Pine Cay
        • Grand Turk
    • Europe
    • Mediterranean Sea
      • Spain
      • Italy
    • Mexico
      • Mayan Palace Submerged Breakwater
    • Middle East
      • Bahrain – Reef Arabia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Bahrain
    • Pacific Ocean – Western
      • Indonesia – Reef Balls
      • Malaysia
        • Talang Talang
        • Sabah
        • Photos from Malaysia
    • US – West Coast
      • Alaska — Reef Balls in ALASKA
      • California
        • Point Pinole Regional Shoreline
        • Reef Ball Reef designed has for California 2013
        • Santa Barbara
        • Reef Ball Reef designed for California
    • US – North East
      • Connecticut
        • Stratford Point
      • Maryland
        • Chesapeake
          • Cooks Point – Reef Balls
        • Stevenson Reef Ball Project
        • Cook Point Reef Ball Site
        • Ocean City
        • Bay Area
        • Perry Hall
        • Talbot County
      • Massachusetts
      • New York
        • Bay Keepers Oyster Restoration Program
        • Jamaica Bay
        • West Harlem Waterfront Park 2006
        • Risherman (Yellowbar) Reef
        • NJ reef food web
      • New Jersey
        • Atlantic City Reef
        • New Jersey Eternal Reef Balls
      • Virginia
    • US – South East
      • Alabama
        • Dolphin Island
        • Alabama Off Shore Reef Balls
        • Coffee Island
        • Mobile County
      • Florida
        • Bay County
          • Mexico Beach, FL
        • Brevard CO
        • Broward County Reef Balls
          • Broward ORB
          • Ft. Laud / Miami
        • Charlotte County
          • Punta Gorda Isles
          • Port Charlotte
        • Collier
          • Naples
        • Dade County Reef Balls
          • Biscayne Bay
          • Loucif Project
        • Dixie County Reef Balls
        • Duval County
          • Charles H Kirbo Reef
          • St Johns River
        • Escambia Count Reef Balls
          • Laars Reef Ball Site
          • Pensacola
        • Flagler County Reef Balls
        • Franklin Count Reef Balls
        • Hernando Co.
          • Hernando County Reef 2017
        • Hillsborough Co.
          • Alafia Banks Bird Sanctuary
        • Indian River
        • Lee County
          • Ft. Myers
          • Midigation Projects
          • Ft. Myers / Naples
          • Cape Coral
        • Manatee Co.
          • Palmetto Eco-Rap
            • 2016 Palmetto Living Seawall Deployment
        • Monroe County
          • Islamarada
        • Oculina Bank home to 105 Reef Balls
        • Okaloosa County Reef Balls
        • Pinellas County
          • Largo
          • Clearwater
          • Maderia Beach
          • St. Petersburg
          • Treasure Island
        • Plam Beach
        • Santa Rosa
        • Sarasota
          • Sarasota County Reef Balls
          • Anglers Reef Sarasota, Florida
        • Seminole
        • St. Johns County
        • Tampa
        • Tampa Bay
          • Tampa Bay Watch
          • MacDill AFB Shore Enhancement
        • Volusia County Reef Balls
          • Daytona
      • Georga
      • Levy County – Nature Coast Biological Station
      • Louisiana
        • Lake Pontchartrain
      • Mississippi
        • FH-6
        • FH-8, FH-9, FH-10, & Cat Island
        • Mississippi FH2
      • South Carolina
        • Charleston
        • Myrtle Beach
      • Tennessee – Fish Habitat
      • North Carolina
        • Long Beach Pier, NC
        • Topsail Reef
        • Wilmington
        • Morris Landing Holly Ridge NC
        • North Carolina – South River Construction Site
        • Englehard, NC
        • Wanchese
        • Town of Oriental, North Carolina
        • Brunswick CO.
        • Topsail Island
      • Texas Projects
        • Galveston
        • Moses Lake
        • Texas – Oyster Lake
        • S Padre Island
        • Baytown
  • Science / Reference
    • Best Practices using Reef Balls on Living Shorelines.
    • Educational Projects with High School / Middle School Students
    • Photos
    • Posters
    • Presentations
      • J McFarlane’s Slide Decks from Presentations
    • Research Papers
      • Breakwater Research
      • Nutrient Enrichment increases severity of coral diseases and bleaching
      • Research – Coral Reefs Soften Ocean’s Fury for Millions of Coastal Dwellers
    • Research site specific, projects using Reef Balls
      • Breakwater Research using Reef Balls
      • Estuary Research projects using Reef Balls
    • Sharks & Reef Balls
    • Restore Act Science Program
    • Video’s
    • Sarasota Weather
  • Links
    • Volunteers building Reef Balls
  • Posts
  • Contact

Reef Innovations

Worldwide contractor for designed reef systems and marine habitat restoration

Survey Photos from Point Pinole

  • Living Shoreline Projects
  • San Francisco Bay
https://reefinnovations.com/archives/4393

Survey Pictures from California.

California
Photo by Helen Dickson

Point Pinole reef

photo by Sheryl Drinkwater


Pt. Pinole Monitoring 2

photo by Helen Dickson


What’s on the Reef?

First Colonizers – build it and they will come!

By Helen Dickson

reef1As we say hello to 2015, we also wrap up our first year monitoring our oyster reef on the Point Pinole Shoreline. We’ve found some great things!

First, and most important, we found our native Olympia oysters! These crusty creatures were the impetus for the reef project, and we are happy to report that they have found their new habitat and are settling in nicely. They are present by the hundreds on the reef balls, and they have grown an average of 220% since August–that means they have more than tripled their body size in just four months!

Olympia oysters are smaller than the Pacific oysters that we commonly think of (and eat), so these young bivalves are still pretty small: about a third of an inch in length. They can expect to get a few inches bigger before they’re fully grown.

reef2Oyster larvae are only motile for a short time before they pick a spot and settle down. They need a hard surface to attach to, such as a rock or the shells of adult oysters. The sediment that washed down into the bay during the gold mining days covered up many of the habitable spots, and now hard surfaces are at a premium. The oyster reef balls, made of bay sand, oyster shell and concrete, provide nice hard spots for oysters to settle down and get to their life’s work: filtering water. As filter feeders, Olympia oysters strain their food from the water, filtering about 50 gallons of water per day and doing their part to keep the bay clean and healthy.

Our other reef inhabitants are barnacles. They are also filter feeders, but they have a specialized skill set: while oysters and most other filter feeders internally filter water, barnacles actually reach out of the shelter of their shells with long, feathery limbs and grab food particles from the water. Smaller than oysters, barnacles tend to grow on any hard substrate they can find, up to and including marine animals such as whales.

Oysters and barnacles tend to be among the first colonizers of new spaces in the marine world. They can weather harsh environments and end up creating more suitable habitat for many other life forms, including nudibranchs, crabs, and even small fish. This community is not always a welcome addition: for example, presence of these “fouling organisms” on boat hulls can create so much drag in the water that fuel efficiency drops, sometimes drastically. However, to us this community of hardy invertebrates communicates a healthy and prosperous bay.

reef3We witnessed another magic moment that brought home the fact that the reef is fulfilling its purpose. It came in the form of a beautiful bird, near sundown, on a stormy December day: a Great Egret was spied fishing amongst the reef balls, a sure sign that life is moving into the reef.

If you’re interested in learning more and volunteering to monitor the reef, please contact Helen Dickson (helen@thewatershedproject.org).




We Have Deployment!

100 Reef Balls Create a Native Oyster Reef

By Chris Lim

oysterreef1Hooray, we finally did it! This past Friday, we adorned the San Francisco Bay with our native oyster reefalong the North Richmond shoreline in Point Pinole Regional Park. Friday’s installation was a culmination of many days and years of demanding work, work highlighting people’s dedication to making the Bay a healthier place. Work either touched by an agency ally, community volunteer, or local supporter.

A range of people attended this eventful day, each with a common connection: the Olympia oyster. As the only oyster native to the west coast of North America, we all appreciate the role oysters play in a healthy ecosystem. Oysters provide habitat for small organisms such as amphipods, worms, and crabs, that are food for larger animals like salmon and birds.

Under a bright sun and pleasant breeze, community members enjoyed oysters on the half shell, while observing the crew of Dixon Marine Services, a local oceanographic company, lower 100 reef balls into the water. Throughout the day, people had a variety of questions about our 250 pound reef balls, but the one on the tip of everyone’s tongue was, “Can we eat the oysters growing on them?” We need people to understand that our project is rooted in science and the oysters are NOT to be eaten. Our Bay and its infinite connections to the people of the Bay, is inevitably affected by the pollution entering our Estuary. Oysters are filter feeders, so in order to eat, adult oysters filter almost 10 gallons of water per day. Oysters can store some of these pollutants in their bodies, and excrete them as well. But one day we envision a swimmable and edible Bay.oysterreef2

Though our project is rooted in science our native oyster reef is really about our community. This reef will benefit the health of San Francisco Bay for years to come because a small group of proactive people decided to make positive environmental choices together. Whether one helped push through a permit, got dirty making reef balls, monitored oysters, or donated services, their imprint is a lasting part of the oyster reef. The reef is another opportunity to connect people with their watershed. The reef becomes an outdoor classroom in our high school curriculum, Wild! Oysters. Students come face-to-face with actual live oysters in the field and monitor them just as marine scientists would. We will also engage community volunteers to monitor the reef for oyster recruitment and the percent cover of other organisms.volunteers

We all worked together to do something good for our Bay, and provide Mother Nature with the kick-start she needs. So now the reef balls will allow nature to take its course, letting hundreds of thousands newly attached oysters, or spat, to filter pollutants from the Bay. Our reef is a great example of what an organized community is able to accomplish.

If you are interested in becoming involved with the monitoring of native oysters, please check our upcoming events and contact Chris Lim.

Photo Credits: Andrew Whitmore, Greening Urban Watersheds Intern



Stay in touch with what is going on at  The Watershed Project     http://www.thewatershedproject.org/WhatWeDo/WhatWeDo.html

 

November 23, 2016 Reef Innovations

Post navigation

Sarasota M8 now has Reef Balls – Deployment 2016 → ← Tampa Bay Watch Deployment 10-16

Related Posts

Creating Habitat at the Turnbull Shoreline

Living Shoreline Project – Cedar Key Nature Coast Biological Station

Savanna Barry Savanna is a Regional Specialized Extension Agent based in Cedar Key, FL at the UF/IFAS Nature Coast Biological Station. She specializes in coastal marine ecosystems, especially seagrass meadows.

Palmetto Eco-Rap Project one year later.

Tetra Tech Living Shoreline Project in Louisiana

Living Shoreline Demonstration Project, Louisiana Photo cutesy of CPRA’s St. Bernard Parish Living Shoreline Demonstration Project, funded by the Coastal Impact Assistance Program The Tetra Tech team used analytical and […]

Recent Posts

Product and Service Price List Updated

We have replaced our Product and Service Price List from a downloadable PDF file to a dynamic page which has all the latest information about the prices of our products […]

More Info
Sacred Heart University Living Shoreline Wins National Award

Sacred Heart University Living Shoreline Wins National Award

Reef balls have recently been featured in Sacred Heart University’s Stratford Point Living Shoreline project. This project has won the Best Restored Shore Award from the American Shore [...]

More Info

Victoria Harbour Reef Balls Installation on Vimeo

More Info

Creating Habitat at the Turnbull Shoreline

More Info
  • Home
  • Test Page
  • About
    • The Reef Ball Foundation
    • Eternal Reefs
  • Products & Specs
    • Reef Balls
      • Oyster Ball
      • Lo-Pro
      • Mini Bay
      • Bay Ball
      • Pallet Ball
      • Ultra Reef Ball
      • Super Ball
      • Supra Ball
      • Goliath Ball
      • Goliath Ball Modification
      • Goliath Breakwater Ring
      • Goliath Breakwater with Base
      • Goliath with Extended Tall Base
      • Reef Ball on Sloped Base
      • Table Top
      • Model Reef Balls
    • Layer Cakes
      • Oyster Layer Cake
      • Lo-Pro Layer Cake
      • Mini Layer Cake
      • Bay Layer Cake
      • Ultra Layer Cake
      • Pallet Layer Cake
      • Super Layer Cake
      • Goliath Layer Cake
    • Reef Cubes
      • A Cube
      • B Cube
      • C Cube
      • D Cube
      • E Cube
      • 2 tier Reef Cube
      • 3 tier Reef Cube
      • 4 tier Reef Cube
      • 5 tier Reef Cube
      • Reef Cube with attached Reef Ball
    • Other Modules
      • Anchor
      • Chanel Marker Habitat
      • Deep Cover
      • Eco-Rap
      • Juvenile Habitat IJV
      • Mangrove Cultivating Pot
      • Smart Reef
    • Product and Service Price List
  • Ecosystem/Services
    • Blue Carbon Credits
    • Breakwater Construction
    • Breakwater Design
    • Deployment
    • Design & Consulting
      • Site Evaluation & Surveys
      • Custom Designs & Models
    • Diving Services
    • Ecosystem Restoration
      • Coral
      • Living Shoreline / Living Breakwaters
        • Erosion Control Project – Checklist
      • Mangrove Restoration
      • Oyster Reefs
        • Reef Balls produce more oysters.
      • Docks & Along Seawalls – A great place for Reef Balls
    • Habitats
      • Deep Cover Protective Habitat
      • EFH = Essential Fish Habitat
      • Layer Cake Lobster Habitat
      • Micro Habitat
      • Under Dock Habitats
      • Use of Reef Balls in River’s
    • Monitoring
    • Reef Ball Training & QC
    • Side Scan Sonar & DGPS
    • Volunteer Projects
  • Projects
    • Africa – Jambiani 2015
    • Atlantic Ocean Western
      • Bahamas
        • Bahamas – Baha Mar 2014 Cable Beach
        • Castaway Cay – Disney Crewesline
        • Deadman’s Reef Snorkeling the Reef Balls
        • Paradise Cove Grand Bahamas
        • Halfmoon Cay
        • Coco Cay
      • Canada
      • Caribbean Reef Balls
        • Antigua
        • Barbados
        • Dominican Republic
          • Cadaques
          • GRAN DOMINICUS BEACH RESORT
          • Canola Hilton Submerged Reef Ball Breakwater
        • Curacao
        • Jamaica
        • Antigua
        • St Maarten
      • Grand Caymen
      • Montserrat
        • Monstserrat
      • Nova Scotia
      • Turks & Caicos Islands
        • Beaches – Reef Ball Project
        • Providenciales
        • Smiths Reef
        • Pine Cay
        • Grand Turk
    • Europe
    • Mediterranean Sea
      • Spain
      • Italy
    • Mexico
      • Mayan Palace Submerged Breakwater
    • Middle East
      • Bahrain – Reef Arabia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Bahrain
    • Pacific Ocean – Western
      • Indonesia – Reef Balls
      • Malaysia
        • Talang Talang
        • Sabah
        • Photos from Malaysia
    • US – West Coast
      • Alaska — Reef Balls in ALASKA
      • California
        • Point Pinole Regional Shoreline
        • Reef Ball Reef designed has for California 2013
        • Santa Barbara
        • Reef Ball Reef designed for California
    • US – North East
      • Connecticut
        • Stratford Point
      • Maryland
        • Chesapeake
          • Cooks Point – Reef Balls
        • Stevenson Reef Ball Project
        • Cook Point Reef Ball Site
        • Ocean City
        • Bay Area
        • Perry Hall
        • Talbot County
      • Massachusetts
      • New York
        • Bay Keepers Oyster Restoration Program
        • Jamaica Bay
        • West Harlem Waterfront Park 2006
        • Risherman (Yellowbar) Reef
        • NJ reef food web
      • New Jersey
        • Atlantic City Reef
        • New Jersey Eternal Reef Balls
      • Virginia
    • US – South East
      • Alabama
        • Dolphin Island
        • Alabama Off Shore Reef Balls
        • Coffee Island
        • Mobile County
      • Florida
        • Bay County
          • Mexico Beach, FL
        • Brevard CO
        • Broward County Reef Balls
          • Broward ORB
          • Ft. Laud / Miami
        • Charlotte County
          • Punta Gorda Isles
          • Port Charlotte
        • Collier
          • Naples
        • Dade County Reef Balls
          • Biscayne Bay
          • Loucif Project
        • Dixie County Reef Balls
        • Duval County
          • Charles H Kirbo Reef
          • St Johns River
        • Escambia Count Reef Balls
          • Laars Reef Ball Site
          • Pensacola
        • Flagler County Reef Balls
        • Franklin Count Reef Balls
        • Hernando Co.
          • Hernando County Reef 2017
        • Hillsborough Co.
          • Alafia Banks Bird Sanctuary
        • Indian River
        • Lee County
          • Ft. Myers
          • Midigation Projects
          • Ft. Myers / Naples
          • Cape Coral
        • Manatee Co.
          • Palmetto Eco-Rap
            • 2016 Palmetto Living Seawall Deployment
        • Monroe County
          • Islamarada
        • Oculina Bank home to 105 Reef Balls
        • Okaloosa County Reef Balls
        • Pinellas County
          • Largo
          • Clearwater
          • Maderia Beach
          • St. Petersburg
          • Treasure Island
        • Plam Beach
        • Santa Rosa
        • Sarasota
          • Sarasota County Reef Balls
          • Anglers Reef Sarasota, Florida
        • Seminole
        • St. Johns County
        • Tampa
        • Tampa Bay
          • Tampa Bay Watch
          • MacDill AFB Shore Enhancement
        • Volusia County Reef Balls
          • Daytona
      • Georga
      • Levy County – Nature Coast Biological Station
      • Louisiana
        • Lake Pontchartrain
      • Mississippi
        • FH-6
        • FH-8, FH-9, FH-10, & Cat Island
        • Mississippi FH2
      • South Carolina
        • Charleston
        • Myrtle Beach
      • Tennessee – Fish Habitat
      • North Carolina
        • Long Beach Pier, NC
        • Topsail Reef
        • Wilmington
        • Morris Landing Holly Ridge NC
        • North Carolina – South River Construction Site
        • Englehard, NC
        • Wanchese
        • Town of Oriental, North Carolina
        • Brunswick CO.
        • Topsail Island
      • Texas Projects
        • Galveston
        • Moses Lake
        • Texas – Oyster Lake
        • S Padre Island
        • Baytown
  • Science / Reference
    • Best Practices using Reef Balls on Living Shorelines.
    • Educational Projects with High School / Middle School Students
    • Photos
    • Posters
    • Presentations
      • J McFarlane’s Slide Decks from Presentations
    • Research Papers
      • Breakwater Research
      • Nutrient Enrichment increases severity of coral diseases and bleaching
      • Research – Coral Reefs Soften Ocean’s Fury for Millions of Coastal Dwellers
    • Research site specific, projects using Reef Balls
      • Breakwater Research using Reef Balls
      • Estuary Research projects using Reef Balls
    • Sharks & Reef Balls
    • Restore Act Science Program
    • Video’s
    • Sarasota Weather
  • Links
    • Volunteers building Reef Balls
  • Shop
    • Reef Ball Foundation Donation
  • Posts
  • Contact
Powered by WordPress | theme SG Double