2022-10-24 General Committee Meeting- Item 7 - Attachment 1 - Noosa Oyster Ecosystem Restoration Project - Final Report (1)

Shell washing
Some 7.6 tonnes of recycled oyster shell were washed at the Doonan Solid Waste Depot during late 2021 (Figure 4). Over 4
tonnes of shell were bagged in 10kg amounts and transported to Bribie Island Research Centre where it is being settled with
oyster spat, for reseeding the Noosa’s oyster reef foundations.




Figure 4: Staff and volunteers wash oyster shells at the Resource Recovery Centre, Doonan. Photo by Craig Bohm



Oyster gardening project
TNC partnered with NICA to facilitate oyster gardening in Noosa. Oyster gardening is an
activity whereby locals grow out local oysters, provided by the project, in baskets, or
‘oyster gardens’ suspended from jetties. The volunteer gardeners care for the gardens,
keep citizen science records of their experience and become better educated about
oysters and oyster restoration in the process. Once the juvenile oysters are large enough
to survive on their own, they are carefully placed onto the oyster reef patches in the
project’s restoration sites. These oysters help kick start ecosystem recovery.

Whilst NICA is yet to formally launch the full-scale Noosa River Oyster Gardening Program, they have been busy preparing
materials, testing equipment and engaging residents, schools and community groups in preparation for the program launch
later this year. In February, NICA commenced a trial of its recycled oyster baskets using only recycled shell at three locations
along the Noosa River. Early indications of wild oyster recruitment, survival and growth have been promising to date (Figure
5). Moreover, the trial has delivered considerable learnings ahead of the formal program launch shortly.




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