The Port Adelaide community is invited to help build homes for thousands of baby oysters at the next ‘Nature Nights’ event.
Hosted by the Port Environment Centre on Wednesday, 8 October, Nature Nights: Feel the Flow of the Port River is a hands-on session with talks from experts and insights into the Port River ecosystem.
Attendees will be invited to roll up their sleeves and build sets of ‘oyster windchimes’, which will act as simple but effective homes for baby oysters once set up in the river. Made from biodegradable rope and up-cycled oyster shells, the windchimes give spat (baby shellfish that swim before settling) a place to attach and grow.
“Participants will be threading pre-drilled oyster shells (prepared by OzFish volunteers), and using their knot tying skills to make the ‘oyster windchimes’,” said Janice Vaz from the Port Environment Centre. “These can be attached as hanging fish habitats, and complement other shellfish restoration structures that OzFish volunteers have been making like Robust Oyster Baskets (ROBs) and mussel mats.”
“Oysters and mussels are filter-feeders that remove nutrients and microalgae, while also creating habitats for fish,” says Janice Vaz from the Port Environment Centre. “[They] used to form reefs across South Australia and throughout the Port River before they were lost by the 1950s.”
“By providing beneficial structures for them to grow on, it’s possible to restore these reefs and their biodiversity benefits. These windchimes can act as ‘spat collectors’ whereby baby shellfish (which swim) can attach and grow to boost shellfish populations.”
The event is part of the SA Nature Festival’s theme ‘flow’ and has come about in collaboration with OzFish, a fishing conservation charity working to restore shellfish reefs. SA Project Manager Brad Martin will lead a talk on the history of native flat oysters (Ostrea angasi), their decline across South Australia, and current restoration efforts in the Port River.
Alongside the oyster windchime-building activity, the evening program also includes oyster-inspired art, an eco-discussion on marine protection, and a guided session with Martin on how OzFish is helping the Port River recover.
The free event runs from 4pm to 8pm at the Port Environment Centre, with activities suitable for families and all ages.
Nature Nights – Feel the Flow of the Port River
Where: Port Environment Centre, 27 N Parade, Port Adelaide
When: Wednesday, 8 October, 4 – 8pm
For more information, click here.
