Scientists have suggested that oysters are likely to have a major spawning event around April every year (Oysters in the St Johns River). During this period larvel oyster concentrations are high in the waterway and likely to attach to suitable structures should they come into contact. In an effort to test this theory, old oyster shells were placed in an area in proximity to the intended Mill Cove Oyster site back in May. The shells were recently sampled to investigate for any signs of natural Oyster recruitment. Below are images of some of the shells sampled.

The images clearly show an abundance of juvinile oysters attached to the old oyster shells. We were surprised by the number of oyster recruitments observed as well as the size of the juvinile oysters. These observations support that the Mill Cove area is an ideal location to create Oyster habitat via relying on natural Oyster recruitment. We are looking forward to continuing progress with his project.