Orange Beach, Ala. — (OBA) —  Oyster beds in Mobile Bay are slowly coming back to life, and the work is happening close to home for Gulf Coast residents. The Alabama Wildlife Federation and several partners launched a 50-acre oyster cultch planting project near Cedar Point Beach. Separately, Mobile Baykeeper's Oyster Keepers Program placed 240,000 oysters on restoration reefs in 2025 alone. 

National Oyster Day falls on August 5, making it a fitting moment to take stock of the bay's recovery. While coastal cultures have relied on oysters for thousands of years, the national day of recognition officially began in 1983.  The person or organization that originated the celebration has never been conclusively identified.

The Alabama Wildlife Federation began work on the Cedar Point project in July 2026. The project uses approximately 4,600 tons of No. 4 washed limestone, shipped by barge from Vulcan Materials' Pride Quarry in Tuscumbia. Cooper Marine handled the barge transport, while JW Marine deployed the limestone across the restoration area.

The limestone serves as "cultch," a hard surface that enables free-swimming oyster larvae to attach and grow into reefs. Officials say the rock can remain effective for 10 to 15 years, allowing multiple generations of oysters to build on the same reef structure. The site in Heron Bay sits next to oyster reefs that are already producing.

"Oysters have been part of Alabama's culture for more than a thousand years," said Chris Blankenship, commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. He noted that oyster populations have declined since the 1950s, making habitat investment critical to long-term recovery.

The Cedar Point project is the fourth oyster cultch planting led by the Alabama Wildlife Federation, funded privately. Past plantings include 2,600 tons near Dauphin Island and 1,000 tons near Gailliard Island in Mobile Bay. In 2022, the federation committed $250,000 to oyster restoration to help create and enhance reefs across the region.

Meanwhile, Mobile Baykeeper's Oyster Keepers Program is pursuing a broader goal. The nonprofit aims to return five million oysters to Mobile Bay by 2028. The program launched in 2023 with a pilot featuring four pier gardens on Dauphin Island and in Bon Secour Bay.

Today, 44 pier owners are enrolled in the program, each hosting cages attached to their residential docks. Each pier garden contains 160 live adult oysters, distributed across four cages. Program staff visit each site monthly, and participants perform simple weekly maintenance. The Oyster Keepers Program has filled all available pier slots for 2026.

Each pier garden has a measurable environmental impact. Together, the cages filter 8,000 gallons of water daily and produce 400 million larvae annually, according to Mobile Baykeeper. More than 80 percent of Mobile Bay's historic oyster population has vanished since 1950, largely because of overharvesting, pollution, and habitat loss.

A single adult oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water each day. Healthy reefs also provide shelter for fish, shrimp, crabs, and dozens of other species. Alabama Coastal Foundation's shell recycling program recycles discarded shells into base material for new reefs, adding another layer to the regional effort.

Officials say it could take two to three years for oysters at the Cedar Point site to reach harvestable size. If successful, oysters served at local restaurants could one day come from the very reefs now being built beneath the waters near Cedar Point and Dauphin Island. National Oyster Day on August 5 offers Gulf Coast residents a chance to appreciate the humble shellfish at the center of that long-term investment.

Below are locations where you can get Raw Oysters in our area…

• CoastAL Restaurant
  
  
• Cobalt the Restaurant
  
  
• DeSoto's Seafood Kitchen
  
  
• Doc's Seafood & Steaks
  
  
• Doc's Seafood Shack & Oyster Bar
  
  
• Flora-Bama Lounge
  
  
• Flora-Bama Ole River Grill
  
  
• Flora-Bama Yacht Club
  
  
• Mikee's Seafood
  
  
• Shrimp Basket
  
  
• Zeke's Restaurant