November Update from the Apalachicola Bay System Initiative

Pathway to Recovery

Oyster in a holding tank in ABSI's experimental hatchery. Credit: Shannon Kirk, FSU

The Apalachicola Bay System Initiative

Newsletter - November 2021

The ABSI mission: to gain insight into the root causes of decline of the Apalachicola Bay ecosystem with a focus on oyster reefs, and ultimately, with guidance from the Community Advisory Board and input from stakeholders and the public, to develop science-informed restoration and ecosystem-based management plans focused on the recovery of oyster reefs and the health of Apalachicola Bay.

News from the Community Advisory Board

The Community Advisory Board (CAB) met on October 19th and received a short briefing from Dr. Sandra Brooke (FSU ABSI Principal Investigator) on the status of research initiatives on the ABSI team, as well as a short summary from Board member Chad Hanson on current outreach initiatives (see below for list of upcoming public presentations).

CAB members discussed and made minor changes to the Draft Apalachicola Bay System (ABS) Plan (click for downloadable PDF) .

The bulk of the meeting entailed prioritizing all 42 strategies from the Draft ABS Plan. The results of this exercise can be found here. At the upcoming meeting on November 16th, CAB members will review and seek consensus for approving the ABS Plan as it moves onto evaluation and implementation in Phase IV. Members will also discuss the continuation of the CAB as this project enters the new year.

To ensure complete transparency, the entire history of the deliberations from each of the 14 meetings (11 CAB meetings and 3 Oystermen's Workshops) since March 2020, including copies of all presentations and meeting recordings are available on the ABSI Community Advisory Board website.

Note: Due to COVID-19, meetings of the CAB have taken place virtually using ZOOM since the May 2020 meeting and will continue to be virtual until further notice.

CAB Meeting: November 16th at 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM, Agenda

https://fsu.zoom.us/j/95377490568

(Held via Zoom -- members of the public are encouraged to attend and listen in. There is room for for public comment at the end of each meeting.)

ABSI Outreach Opportunities:

November 5/6th, All Day -- The Florida Seafood Festival, by ANERR's tent
November 8th at 6:00 PM -- Eastpoint Civic Association at the Eastpoint Fire Station

ABSI Science Update

ABSI researchers are continuing to monitor and analyze the experimental restoration reef plots and cages for larval recruitment, oyster growth, and oyster survival. Preliminary results are still being analyzed, but will shared with the public once finalized.

Additionally, the ABSI research team is finishing up intertidal sampling in the ABS by the end of this year. A publication describing the team's findings is on track to be submitted for review in 2022.

Finally, Dr. Andrew Shantz's (ABSI research team) lab has begun to grow strains of phytoplankton (algae). These algae form the base of the food web in Apalachicola Bay and will help researchers understand how changes in water quality in the Bay could impact the food available for oysters as well as begin to investigate how toxic algal blooms like red tides develop.

ABSI Hatchery Technician Benton Jaco looking at algae specimens under the microscope. Credit: Benton Jaco, FSU

Watch Dr. Sandra Brooke's recent presentation to the Franklin County Commission - the presentation starts at minute "34:00" of the recording.

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We are always interested in hearing from you so if you have questions or comments, please send them to our email address, fsucml-absi@fsu.edu.