1) Exciting News About Reef Balls and Oyster Settlement From

Ronny Paille
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
646 Cajundome Blvd., Suite 400
Lafayette, LA  70506

Reef Ball was gracious enough to provide us with 5 or 6 mini-balls and 2 of
the new oyster shell aggregate finished oyster balls so that we could
conduct spat set tests here in coastal Louisiana.  Those tests were to
assess various material types for our soon-to-come (I hope) marsh/shore
protection project.  The tests have been completed and reefballs appear to
be the winner (having the most oyster spat per unit surface area).  Once we
have the surface area computations completed, we should be able to send you
a report.  Dr. Earl Melancon, a professor at Nicholls State University
(Louisiana), has conducted these tests and is having students develop the
results.  He is excited about the reefballs. After 2 months in the water, we
had a BIG stone crab residing inside one of the oyster balls!

2) Maryland Environmental Service completed Oyster spat tank tests with Reef
Ball cement mixtures (adapter plugs), Reef Balls, and natural shells and
found that Reef Balls set the same amount as natural shells.  These Reef
Balls and others will be deployed in Chesapeake Bay around Oct. 2nd.

3) Dr. Carl Knop from Louisana State University has applied for a grant to
study Reef Balls to create natural erosion barriers while supporting oyster
growth and will include the sequestering of CO2 to reduce global warming by
CO2 injection into Reef Balls.

4) Tampa Bay Watch continues to have an active Reef Ball/Oyster reef program
in Tampa Bay.  Go to www.tampabaywatch.org for more news.

---

---