Auburn University’s Marine Extension and Resource Center recorded 92,015 advanced stocker-sized oysters were produced and transported to a sanctuary reef in Little Lagoon.

The Little Lagoon Preservation Society spearheaded the local effort, gathering volunteers, harvesting the oysters, measuring them and counting the yield. 

Volunteers in Gulf Shores, including students from Gulf Shores High School, gathered to transfer the oysters from 64 gardens that local residents had tended since May. The gardeners were expected to check for unwanted predators in their cages and shake the cages once a week to ensure successful growth.

Organizers of the effort said the process only takes a few months, but the outcome is immeasurable.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) fisheries division, oysters are a vital component of ocean health and can serve as barriers to storms and tides, preventing erosion.

Restoration projects, such as the one in Little Lagoon, are important because the loss of oyster reefs eliminates critical ecosystem functions.

“One adult oyster filters 50 gallons of water a day,” said Dennis Hatfield, with the Little Lagoon Preservation Society. “It removes bacteria and carbon.”

The students were able to learn about the habitat and purpose of oysters through a hands-on activity (with gloves).

P.J. Waters, with Auburn University, was on site to oversee the long day of work for the 39 volunteers.

“These oysters represent a restoration potential of 4.547 acres, and an inflation-adjusted economic value of $124,238.06, excluding the value of volunteer time,” Waters said.

The oysters, which started out as tiny spat in mid-May, were placed to the protected Restoration Reef, which was established in 2024.

“They will stay in the lagoon and continue to provide the ecosystem services, so what we’re doing is great,” Hatfield said. “This has been a wildly successful program.”