Assessment of Cultch Materials for Oyster Habitat Restoration in Georgia. Authors: Justin Manley*, Alan Power, Randal L. Walker, Dorset Hurley, Matthew Gilligan, and Joseph Richardson. Hurley, Matthew Gilligan, and Joseph Richardson.

Map 1. Map of the Duplin River; indicating the project site at N31  W081  * Denotes project site. * *

Figure 1. Oyster Recruitment (spat/0.01 m 2 ) in the Duplin River, Sapelo Island, Georgia during *Compliments of Randy Walker.* April 2004 May 2005 Figure 2. Mean temperature ( o C ± S.E.) and salinity (PSU ± S.E.) for the Duplin river recorded at Marsh Landing from March 2004 – May *Compliments of Patrick Hagan and Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve.*

81 spat sticks/m 2 25 spat sticks/m 2 Crab TrapBags

Statistical Analysis Non-parametric ANOVA Non-parametric ANOVA Nested design using Duncan’s multiple range test. Nested design using Duncan’s multiple range test. Significance at the P < 0.05 range. Significance at the P < 0.05 range.

Table 1 and 2. Mean oyster height (H), length (L), height/length ratio (H/L), mortality (M), species richness (SR) and phyla richness (PR) for the 81spat sticks/m 2 (81SS), 25 spat sticks/m 2 (25 SS), crab trap with whelk shell (WSCT), crab trap with fresh oyster shell (FOSCT), crab trap with washed oyster shell (WOSCT), and plastic mesh bags with fresh oyster shell (FOSPB) treatment types during the 2005 and 2006 sampling periods. Results were evaluated using a non-parametric nested design ANOVA. Outputs from the Duncan’s multiple range test were also given. Treatments with the same letter designation were not significantly different. * Indicates a significance at the P < 0.05 range. Year: 2005H (mm)M (%)SR P0.0001*0.0302* * 81 SS A C 3.33 B SS B AB 6.91 B 18.0 WSCT B C 3.36 AB 17.5 FOSCT C BC 3.96 A 17.0 WOSCT C ABC 5.0 B 14.0 FOSPB D A 9.0 C 3.0 Year: 2006H (mm)M (%)SR P0.0001*0.007*0.03* 81 SS A C 5.33 AB SS AB BC 9.66 BC 26.0 WSCT BC AB ABC 27.5 FOSCT C AB AB 27.0 WOSCT C AB B 26.5 FOSPB D A C 13.5 Table 1.Table 2.

Table 1 and 2. Mean oyster height (H), length (L), height/length ratio (H/L), mortality (M), species richness (SR) and phyla richness (PR) for the 81spat sticks/m 2 (81SS), 25 spat sticks/m 2 (25 SS), crab trap with whelk shell (WSCT), crab trap with fresh oyster shell (FOSCT), crab trap with washed oyster shell (WOSCT), and plastic mesh bags with fresh oyster shell (FOSPB) treatment types during the 2005 and 2006 sampling periods. Results were evaluated using a non-parametric nested design ANOVA. Outputs from the Duncan’s multiple range test were also given. Treatments with the same letter designation were not significantly different. * Indicates a significance at the P < 0.05 range. Year: 2005H (mm)M (%)SR P0.0001*0.0302* * 81 SS A C 3.33 B SS B AB 6.91 B 18.0 WSCT B C 3.36 AB 17.5 FOSCT C BC 3.96 A 17.0 WOSCT C ABC 5.0 B 14.0 FOSPB D A 9.0 C 3.0 Year: 2006H (mm)M (%)SR P0.0001*0.007*0.03* 81 SS A C 5.33 AB SS AB BC 9.66 BC 26.0 WSCT BC AB ABC 27.5 FOSCT C AB AB 27.0 WOSCT C AB B 26.5 FOSPB D A C 13.5 Table 1.Table 2.

Table 1 and 2. Mean oyster height (H), length (L), height/length ratio (H/L), mortality (M), species richness (SR) and phyla richness (PR) for the 81spat sticks/m 2 (81SS), 25 spat sticks/m 2 (25 SS), crab trap with whelk shell (WSCT), crab trap with fresh oyster shell (FOSCT), crab trap with washed oyster shell (WOSCT), and plastic mesh bags with fresh oyster shell (FOSPB) treatment types during the 2005 and 2006 sampling periods. Results were evaluated using a non-parametric nested design ANOVA. Outputs from the Duncan’s multiple range test were also given. Treatments with the same letter designation were not significantly different. * Indicates a significance at the P < 0.05 range. Year: 2005H (mm)M (%)SR P0.0001*0.0302* * 81 SS A C 3.33 B SS B AB 6.91 B 18.0 WSCT B C 3.36 AB 17.5 FOSCT C BC 3.96 A 17.0 WOSCT C ABC 5.0 B 14.0 FOSPB D A 9.0 C 3.0 Year: 2006H (mm)M (%)SR P0.0001*0.007*0.03* 81 SS A C 5.33 AB SS AB BC 9.66 BC 26.0 WSCT BC AB ABC 27.5 FOSCT C AB AB 27.0 WOSCT C AB B 26.5 FOSPB D A C 13.5 Table 1.Table 2.

Table 1 and 2. Mean oyster height (H), length (L), height/length ratio (H/L), mortality (M), species richness (SR) and phyla richness (PR) for the 81spat sticks/m 2 (81SS), 25 spat sticks/m 2 (25 SS), crab trap with whelk shell (WSCT), crab trap with fresh oyster shell (FOSCT), crab trap with washed oyster shell (WOSCT), and plastic mesh bags with fresh oyster shell (FOSPB) treatment types during the 2005 and 2006 sampling periods. Results were evaluated using a non-parametric nested design ANOVA. Outputs from the Duncan’s multiple range test were also given. Treatments with the same letter designation were not significantly different. * Indicates a significance at the P < 0.05 range. Year: 2005H (mm)M (%)SR P0.0001*0.0302* * 81 SS A C 3.33 B SS B AB 6.91 B 18.0 WSCT B C 3.36 AB 17.5 FOSCT C BC 3.96 A 17.0 WOSCT C ABC 5.0 B 14.0 FOSPB D A 9.0 C 3.0 Year: 2006H (mm)M (%)SR P0.0001*0.007*0.03* 81 SS A C 5.33 AB SS AB BC 9.66 BC 26.0 WSCT BC AB ABC 27.5 FOSCT C AB AB 27.0 WOSCT C AB B 26.5 FOSPB D A C 13.5 Table 1.Table 2.

Live Oyster Density: Between years Significant increase for 25 spat sticks/m 2 p = Significant decrease for crab traps with washed shell p = Oyster height (mm) : Between years Oyster height was significantly greater in the second year of research for all treatments

Biomass (kg): Between years Significant increase for 25 spat sticks/m 2 P = Oyster mortality (%) : Between years Significant increase for Plastic mesh bags (p =0.0229) Crab trap with whelk shell (p = ) Crab trap fresh shell (p = ) Marginal for crab traps with washed shell (p = 0.056)

Species Richness (# species): Between years Significant increase for all treatments P < 0.05.

81 spat sticks/m 2 Crab TrapBags 25 spat sticks/m 2

March 2006

November 2006

March 2006

November 2006

March 2006

November 2006

Acknowledgements Thank You! All the Folks at SINERR and MAREX Ellie Covington Marcy Mitchell Thomas Bliss Paul Manley Brooks Good Shane Kicklighter Danny Ellor Jason Brown Carolyn Belcher