Restoring Oysters for Cleaner Water

Oysters are amazing not only as habitat for birds and other aquatic life but also for cleansing water - with each oyster able to filter up to 50 gallons of water per day! The Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program has been working with our partners to build more oyster reefs in our estuaries and coastal waters.

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Here is a photo from our Punta Gorda oyster restoration site, where oystercatchers were documented in the area for the first time ever! Also, watch this cool time elapsed video courtesy of the Oyster Recover Partnership that shows how much 20 mature oysters clean water in just 5 hours!