The Flyfish Journal - The Flyfish Journal 13.4
SHELLED & SHUCKED: Texas’ Disappearing Oyster Reefs
Words: Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate 2022-06-24 10:41:41
A birdseye view of a fleet of oyster-dredging boats near Rockport, TX, reveals the extent of the damage that can be done to the area’s fragile reef systems.
Photo: Knox Kronenberg
Oysters are radical, and fishing the Texas coast wouldn’t be what it is without them. They provide critical habitats for a multitude of marine species and are integral as filters to cycle nutrients and keep coastal waters clean, healthy and clear. They serve as the “kidneys” of the sea, filtering out organic and inorganic pollutants like carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus. A single oyster can filter as much as 30 to 50 gallons of water per day through its gills. So for those of us who fish, they are invaluable. Disappointingly, humans have a history of taking more than what nature can handle, and the challenges currently facing the Texas coast are no different.
Commercial harvest of oysters (primarily the eastern oyster), compounded by the effects of hurricanes, drought and flooding, has been wreaking havoc on the bays here. With more depletion than the reefs can handle, things are quickly going south. Some of the operators are coming from other states such as Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana. According to a report from the Nature Conservancy, oyster habitat throughout the Gulf of Mexico has been reduced by more than 85 percent. This past spring, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department held a series of public comment hearings that, along with the gathering of scientific data, were intended to help determine whether more permanent closures of oystern habitat should be implemented.
A primary concern among conservation groups is the fact that the harvesting methods some companies utilize are nightmarish. Oyster boats drag steel cages over reefs and seafloors, pillaging most everything in their wake, destroying critical habitats and causing bycatch death to species like flounder, which are already facing their own challenges. Additionally, this dredging adds silt to the water column. Retired director of law enforcement for the Texas Game Wardens, Colonel Grahame Jones, believes oysters here could be diminished to the point of possible extinction in some areas, and that would be a disaster for the entire marine ecosystem.
Though oysters can reproduce once they are 6 months old, the ideal breeding years are between 2 and 10. The larvae are so small they can only be seen under a microscope. From the time they hatch they already have a shell and can swim. At about two weeks they are just 1/64th of an inch, and it takes two to three years for an oyster to grow to harvest size. For them to be able to continue growing they attach themselves to a firm substrate—the reefs that make that area so vital to Texas’ coast ecosystem.
Despite this complicated life history, according to game wardens many companies ignore size regulations and opt to pay the fines if they get caught harvesting undersized oysters. Jones says, “I believe that many businesses see the fines simply as a normal cost of business. I have seen multiple offenses by the same ships, repeatedly.”
As such, wardens are considering legislation that would make the penalty a felony instead of what some feel is a slap on the wrist. “The resource is overwhelmed,” Jones says, “and it can be ruined for all.”
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department was forced to institute early closures on a number of important oyster harvesting areas in winter 2021/22, with numerous sections of Galveston, Matagorda, Aransas and San Antonio bays shut down to fishing. In some cases, these closures—based on in-season sampling to determine the abundance of harvest-size oysters and the percentage of smaller ones—occurred less than halfway through the November to April season. While this has a detrimental impact on the livelihoods of commercial harvesters, the fact is that dredging these depleted reefs is unsustainable.
In major cities like Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio, the demand for oysters is strong as can be, as it is across the country and around the world. The nutrition oysters offer is remarkable. They are a rich source of vitamin D, copper, zinc and manganese, and as dietary sources are thought to be naturally more effective than various supplements. When we as consumers know where our food comes from and how it is faring, sustainably or not, we can at least proceed with more wisdom about what we choose to consume from the oceans or land.
JT Van Zandt, a flyfishing guide from the Rockport, TX, area, has worked tirelessly to get the message out about the current situation and is rallying anglers to circle the wagons and be stewards of the waters they care about, as well as let the state and other powers that be know what matters to them. He feels this should have been managed far more astutely and comprehensively.
“We all love oysters,” Van Zandt says. “But the sacrifice of mining them until they are gone is something the locals around here are not going to allow happen. This diverse community of anglers has a collective strength of unity and they know when to dig their heels in and roll up their sleeves to oppose wrong. I’m proud to call this place home because we show up and pull together to do the right thing.”
Hope is everything in life. Taking action is the right way to make change. There are solutions to the problems here. They range from sustainable harvest quotas to limited vessel licenses like those that have helped the shrimping industry, in addition to studying aquaculture and enacting reduced durations or closures of harvest seasons. Tong harvesting—the only method allowed in other states—is much less invasive when done correctly, and could be another option for commercial harvesters who want to stay in business. In the big picture, local coastal economies, recreational anglers, beachgoers, boaters and even birders have a stake in this, as well as consumers. Thanks to the resilience of nature and the Earth’s inherent design, oysters can make a comeback if we just allow them the time and space to breathe and take a break from shortsightedness.
With nearly 80 percent of public comments in support of additional protective closures in Ayres, Mesquite and Carlos bays this past spring, according to information presented by TPWD at public meetings, things appeared promising. But a letter signed by several Texas state senators and representatives and addressed to TPWD Executive Director Carter Smith asked that the decision be delayed—which it was on March 24, 2022. Van Zandt said when news of the letter became public, it was as if the wind came out of the sails for everyone fighting to save these oysters and their habitat. The vote on protective closures for the bays in question was “postponed,” with TPWD promising creation of a stakeholder committee to study the issue further.
Still, it has left many frustrated and even heartbroken.
“This is like building a sawmill in the desert,” Van Zandt says. “It makes no sense at all. We desperately need these oyster sanctuaries to save the future resource.”
The song remains the same. A matter of short-term gain, with the potential for tremendous losses, perhaps forever. There are lifetimes of surreal waters to roam in Texas, waters in which oysters play a vital role. The real question is, generations from now, will there be lifetimes of healthy water left?
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