Oyster Highway moves into phase 4; staff report millions of oysters placed and expanded reef footprint

Stormwater staff updated the committee on the Oyster Highway initiative, saying the program has expanded across multiple phases and that staff have placed millions of oysters to restore habitat and improve water filtration.

Pat detailed earlier phases and said the initiative has used different substrates over time and that phase 4 increases reef counts: "Phase 4, we added another 180 reefs at all 12 sites. So all 12 sites will have 540 individual reefs at them," she said. She also referenced prior efforts that placed about 20 million oysters into Wilson Bay and roughly 10 million from earlier phases in the Oyster Highway.

Pat described the ecological rationale: oysters and mussels attach to hard substrate, filter water and provide habitat for juvenile fish, and staff have observed schools of medium‑sized fish returning to reef sites. The city will continue putting adult oysters into the oyster castles to improve survivability and reef integrity.