Annex 1 - Noosa River Habitat Survey Report - ESP

                                                                   Ecological Service Professionals
                                                                                    Sustainable Science Solutions




Subtidal Leaf Oyster Bed
Living oyster aggregations were found in the Noosa Estuary only where hard surfaces
protruded from the sediment, or on hard surfaces where fine sediment could not settle (i.e.
on vertical surfaces or those in the intertidal where wave action removes fine sediment).
An oyster bed dominated by leaf oysters (Isognomon ephippium, a large flat oyster species
which can provide substrate for rock oysters) was previously found in Weyba Creek in 2016
(Figure 3.7) and was still present in the 2020 survey (Figure 3.8), covering approximately
4,050m2 adjacent to the downstream Weyba Creek investigation area. The low relief bed
(<0.25 m) was growing on soft sediment and provided substrate for rock oysters and other
sessile organisms to survive.




   Figure 3.7 Leaf oyster reef in the downstream Weyba Creek investigation area in 2016




   Figure 3.8 Leaf oyster reef in the downstream Weyba Creek investigation area in 2020




Noosa Oyster Reef Restoration: Marine Benthic Habitat Assessment                                             14