Photos by Allison Marlow
Despite the volunteers’ care and dedication, only a fraction of the little guys will be there in November for the harvest. There are 1 million oyster larvae inside the 125 bags that will be spread through the lagoon. Experts expect a 3 percent survival rate, much higher than the odds they would face alone in nature, which is less than 1 percent. “It’s hard to be a little thing in the natural environment,” said PJ Waters, Alabama Co-operative Extension Specialist who works with the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium which is backing the program. The City of Gulf Shores has also donated money to help the program expand. If the gardens are successful, volunteers will harvest over 50,000 oysters in November. That’s if they can keep their gardens free of pests. The biggest, baddest thing in the lagoon is also the most
innocuous looking — oyster drills. The small sea snails are creatures a child might pluck from the water as they scoot around with giant shells on their backs. Oysters are their favorite meal. The snails secrete an enzyme to soften an oyster's shell, and then drill pin-sized holes through the shell to reach the
For an exciting lunch or dinner you just can’t beat. Come Empty. Leave Full...and hopefully Have a Laugh or two!
Open 10:30 am-til Daily 2981 S. McKenzie • Foley, AL 36535 251-943-7655 • www.throwedrolls.com
July 2018 ● Beachin’ 35