1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,000 2 00:00:11,340 --> 00:00:14,640 We're looking at experimentally trying 3 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:17,730 to determine how Thio create oyster 4 00:00:17,730 --> 00:00:20,350 reefs and restore oyster reefs so that 5 00:00:20,350 --> 00:00:22,790 we have healthy , productive reefs in 6 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:26,160 the Gulf Coast system . So oyster reefs 7 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:28,680 and the Gulf have been hit by fisheries 8 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:32,670 by by commercial uses , but also by 9 00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:35,140 environmental issues like hurricanes 10 00:00:35,140 --> 00:00:38,380 and , of course , by oil spills . And 11 00:00:38,380 --> 00:00:40,547 we'd like to look at different ways to 12 00:00:40,547 --> 00:00:42,910 restore the reefs themselves and to 13 00:00:42,910 --> 00:00:45,021 create them in different ways so that 14 00:00:45,021 --> 00:00:47,160 we can understand how to make the 15 00:00:47,170 --> 00:00:50,350 ecosystem healthy again . And we'd also 16 00:00:50,350 --> 00:00:53,210 like to see how that healthy ecosystem 17 00:00:53,220 --> 00:00:56,900 might have positive impacts on Gulf 18 00:00:56,900 --> 00:00:59,500 sturgeon habitat and Gulf sturgeon food 19 00:00:59,500 --> 00:01:01,500 and the Gulf sturgeon populations . 20 00:01:01,500 --> 00:01:04,360 Healthy reef ecosystems are good for 21 00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:06,950 everyone . One . They can provide some 22 00:01:06,950 --> 00:01:09,970 protection to the shoreline . They can 23 00:01:09,980 --> 00:01:12,720 bring more fish and oysters that folks 24 00:01:12,720 --> 00:01:15,780 love to eat . Andi other fish that that 25 00:01:15,790 --> 00:01:18,440 rely on the oyster habitat , they just 26 00:01:18,450 --> 00:01:20,680 they helped to filter the water so they 27 00:01:20,690 --> 00:01:24,060 can improve water quality . Um , and if 28 00:01:24,060 --> 00:01:27,380 they are successfully , um , helping 29 00:01:27,380 --> 00:01:29,436 the Gulf servants surgeon population 30 00:01:29,436 --> 00:01:31,602 than there are halo effects that could 31 00:01:31,602 --> 00:01:33,824 be seen across the Gulf . What ? What's 32 00:01:33,824 --> 00:01:35,991 interesting about this project is that 33 00:01:35,991 --> 00:01:38,047 we're gonna have a large scale reefs 34 00:01:38,047 --> 00:01:40,047 for this type of experiment , we're 35 00:01:40,047 --> 00:01:43,360 gonna have one acre reef leases that 36 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:46,720 are replicated eight different times at 37 00:01:46,730 --> 00:01:50,230 two locations , so we'll have a large 38 00:01:50,230 --> 00:01:52,330 footprint that has smaller one acre 39 00:01:52,330 --> 00:01:54,330 reefs on it . And then we'll do our 40 00:01:54,330 --> 00:01:56,497 experiments on those reefs . The goals 41 00:01:56,497 --> 00:01:58,386 that make some progress in oyster 42 00:01:58,386 --> 00:02:00,470 restoration in the Gulf . Thio 43 00:02:00,740 --> 00:02:02,980 understand how to get productive or 44 00:02:02,980 --> 00:02:05,430 more productive oyster reef habitat 45 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:08,300 through restoration practices and how 46 00:02:08,300 --> 00:02:10,578 to look . Look at how that's connected . 47 00:02:10,578 --> 00:02:13,310 Thio , Gulf sturgeon habitat and Gulf 48 00:02:13,310 --> 00:02:15,330 sturgeon populations at Arctic . We 49 00:02:15,330 --> 00:02:18,360 know that we really can't do all our 50 00:02:18,360 --> 00:02:20,582 work ourselves . We need to rely on the 51 00:02:20,582 --> 00:02:22,510 community around us , both other 52 00:02:22,510 --> 00:02:25,530 federal partners , academic partners 53 00:02:25,530 --> 00:02:27,530 and private and public partners for 54 00:02:27,530 --> 00:02:30,330 this particular project . We are in 55 00:02:30,330 --> 00:02:32,497 close collaboration with University of 56 00:02:32,497 --> 00:02:34,830 Southern Mississippi and Dr Reid Hendon , 57 00:02:34,830 --> 00:02:38,040 who is the director of the Gulf Coast 58 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:40,540 Research Lab , has been coordinating 59 00:02:40,550 --> 00:02:42,650 that collaboration with the research 60 00:02:42,650 --> 00:02:44,880 missions of U . S . M and Order 61 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:47,213 Environmental Lab are very much aligned , 62 00:02:47,213 --> 00:02:49,390 and it was it makes complete sense for 63 00:02:49,390 --> 00:02:51,223 us to be working on this type of 64 00:02:51,223 --> 00:02:53,810 project that involves coastal ecology 65 00:02:53,810 --> 00:02:56,410 and coastal restoration as well as Gulf 66 00:02:56,410 --> 00:02:58,550 sturgeon , which are both key focal 67 00:02:58,550 --> 00:03:00,460 areas for both U . S M and the 68 00:03:00,460 --> 00:03:04,130 environmental lab . So there's two end 69 00:03:04,130 --> 00:03:06,352 points that we want to get to with this 70 00:03:06,352 --> 00:03:08,297 particular project , the first one 71 00:03:08,297 --> 00:03:12,260 being what is the best way for us to 72 00:03:12,260 --> 00:03:14,670 do restoration here in Mississippi , 73 00:03:14,670 --> 00:03:16,670 along the coast and throughout that 74 00:03:16,670 --> 00:03:20,280 southeastern United States . Secondly , 75 00:03:20,290 --> 00:03:23,870 what are the potential impacts of these 76 00:03:23,870 --> 00:03:26,520 type of restoration activities all 77 00:03:26,530 --> 00:03:28,530 threatening endangered species ? In 78 00:03:28,530 --> 00:03:30,770 this case being called sturgeon , we 79 00:03:30,770 --> 00:03:33,490 will be monitoring habitat use in those 80 00:03:33,490 --> 00:03:36,330 areas of tagging gulf sturgeon 81 00:03:36,340 --> 00:03:39,050 monitoring how they use that that 82 00:03:39,060 --> 00:03:41,420 particular area prior to the reefs 83 00:03:41,420 --> 00:03:43,531 going in , and then we'll continue to 84 00:03:43,531 --> 00:03:45,642 monitor . Monitor that throughout the 85 00:03:45,642 --> 00:03:47,698 life of the project , which is gonna 86 00:03:47,698 --> 00:03:49,864 answer a key question not only here in 87 00:03:49,864 --> 00:03:51,753 the state level , but also at the 88 00:03:51,753 --> 00:03:54,130 federal level is to what degree do 89 00:03:54,140 --> 00:03:56,460 these type of restoration activities 90 00:03:56,840 --> 00:03:59,970 influence Gulf sturgeon way hope that 91 00:03:59,980 --> 00:04:02,050 there is no impact and that actually 92 00:04:02,050 --> 00:04:03,994 there's a benefit to gulf sturgeon 93 00:04:03,994 --> 00:04:06,106 Through the creation of these reefs . 94 00:04:06,106 --> 00:04:08,820 There's the potential that productivity 95 00:04:08,820 --> 00:04:10,931 around the reefs , as a result of the 96 00:04:10,931 --> 00:04:13,820 oysters , will increase benthic or 97 00:04:13,830 --> 00:04:16,440 small organisms in the substrate around 98 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:18,551 that which is what Gulf sturgeon feed 99 00:04:18,551 --> 00:04:20,551 on . So hopefully it will provide a 100 00:04:20,551 --> 00:04:23,280 better habitat for gulf sturgeon . So 101 00:04:23,280 --> 00:04:26,360 if you create this stable , um , 102 00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:28,870 structure overtime , additional fish 103 00:04:28,870 --> 00:04:31,240 will colonize that area , and hopefully 104 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:33,250 that fishery will improve . That's 105 00:04:33,250 --> 00:04:35,139 important for both commercial and 106 00:04:35,139 --> 00:04:37,361 recreational e , uh , important species 107 00:04:37,361 --> 00:04:39,490 within the Mississippi sound . It's a 108 00:04:39,500 --> 00:04:41,960 really unique opportunity for us to 109 00:04:41,970 --> 00:04:45,290 collaborate with a large breath of , of , 110 00:04:45,300 --> 00:04:49,110 of , technically sound folks , and 111 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:51,180 I'm really excited about the 112 00:04:51,190 --> 00:04:52,150 opportunities .