Rob Brumbaugh & Mike Beck The Nature Conservancy Global Marine Initiative nature/marine

1. The Nature Conservancy’s Shellfish Restoration Network: Lessons from a National Perspective Rob Brumbaugh & Mike Beck The Nature Conservancy Global Marine Initiative www.nature.org/marine

2. Acknowledgements • TNC staff leading shellfish restoration projects in 11 U.S. states: Anne Birch, Marci Bortman, Cindy Brown, Rafael Calderon, Chris Clapp, Jeff DeBlieu, Mark Dumesnil, Patrick Ertel, Jared Laing, Carl LoBue, Betsy Lyons, Wayne Grothe, Aaron McCall, Jay Odell, Adam Starke, Barry Truitt, Dick Vander Schaaf, Nicole Vickey, Jacques White; • National Partnership with NOAA’s Community-based Restoration Program; • Many partners in public management agencies, conservation organizations and academic research institutions who contribute to the Shellfish Restoration Network;

3. Outline • Shellfish Restoration Network – history, purpose, initial outcomes • Current activities • Progress • Challenges • Next Steps and Hope for the Future

4. Shellfish Restoration Network - early steps • First suggested by Mike Beck at ICSR in 2004; • Purpose: • improve cohesion and communication among projects • sharpen the focus on ecosystem services as outcome • Initial meeting with TNC and few partners in 2004 and a workshop focused on project design in 2005; • Early outcomes: • communications tools (quarterly E-newsletter “Clamor”) • guidance on design of projects • development of new projects • workspace on www.conserveonline.org

5. “Restoration Clamor”

6. Initial Products New handbook summarizes lessons learned and provides advice on: • The case for restoration • Identifying target species • Site selection • Monitoring approaches • Forming effective partnerships Brumbaugh, R.D., M.W. Beck, L.D. Coen, L. Craig and P. Hicks. 2006. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington VA. 28 pp.

7. Olympia oyster Eastern oyster Bay scallop Hard Clam Blue mussel TNC’s Shellfish Network Sites • Partnership based • Testing restoration strategies • Multiple sites are • leased or owned • Multi-species approach • Focus on Ecosystem Services

8. Sanctuary reefs in NC: Class B rip-rap Limestone marl 150 – 300 tons per reef 2 m 2 – 3 m 5 – 1 0 m Graphic provided by NC Division of Marine Fisheries From Assessments to Action

9. Monitoring is integral part of projects • Using similar metrics (oyster density, size frequency, etc) • Adaptive management http://www.coastal.edu/marine/sgoyster

10. Restoration Progress State-managed program for sanctuary-based restoration Spawner sanctuaries guard against recruitment failure 3-Dimensional reefs mimic historic reef habitat

11. Restoration Progress Shellfish restoration spurs ecosystem-based management plans Improve ecosystem function and resilience Increase filtration with clams

12. Restoration Progress Puget Sound, Olympia oyster restoration on leased bottom • Olympia oyster restoration gaining momentum along Pacific coast • TNC is combining restoration with field test of new state-wide conservation leasing policy in Washington state

13. Scales of projects Large Medium Small But, mostly, working around the margins…

14. Minimal Nutrient Inputs Excessive Nutrient Inputs Sunlight Sunlight Algal Bloom Balanced Algae Growth Healthy Bay Grasses Reduced Bay Grasses Healthy System Eutrophic System Algae Die-off Algae Decomposition Adequate Oxygen No / Low Oxygen Adapted from Chesapeake Bay Program Much more progress is needed Abundant oysters Depleted oysters

15. Condition of Common Estuarine Taxa in 12 Systems around the Globe Lotze et al 2006, SCIENCE

16. Challenges Remain • Fisheries a higher priority than other ecosystem services • Regulatory constraints • restoration in closed waters • habitat enhancement • Ecosystem services not valued ($) • Insufficient restoration funding to return ecosystem services at large scales ($)

17. Next Steps – Engage the Network Address key issues through working groups: • Ecosystem Services - what is a healthy oyster reef actually worth ($) in terms of filtration, nutrient removal, shoreline protection, and ‘productivity’ of fish and shellfish? • Regulatory issues surrounding restoration in closed waters • Global assessment:“Shellfish Reefs at Risk”

18. Ecosystem Services Framework from Millennium Assessment, 2006 • Provisioning – shellfish landings • Regulating – erosion control, fish habitat Peterson et al (2003): 2.6kg/m2/yr fish production in SE estuaries • Cultural – tourism, recreation • Supporting - nutrient cycling Newell et al (2005): $314,836/yr N removal in Choptank River Need this to justify scaling up

19. Restoration in Closed Waters: attractive solution or attractive nuisance? Chesapeake Bay Watershed Area: 166,000 km2 Lynnhaven River Sub-Watershed Area: 166 km2

20. A ten year restoration effort

21. Impetus for water quality improvement Lynnhaven River 2007

22. Coral Reefs at Risk An impetus for research, conservation, improved management Low High Medium Bryant et al, 1998

23. Looking Globally… Shellfish Reefs at Risk Temperate Northern Hemisphere Low Risk-- Intact Shellfish Reefs & Beds • No synthesis of distribution, condition or threats (risk) • No compelling case for action

24. Seeking data: Spatial distribution, abundance, condition & threats

25. Conclusions • A lot of progress - new and innovative partnerships have elevated restoration and enhanced monitoring; • Need to sharpen focus on ecosystem services to make ecological restoration more mainstream and large scale; • Shellfish Restoration Network should help to fill in gaps, provide support for enhanced and expanded restoration; Seeking your involvement: Rob Brumbaugh rbrumbaugh@tnc.org

26. Our challenge “The nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased and not impaired in value.” - Theodore Roosevelt