By Bob Sofaly

More than 120 volunteers gathered at the Port Royal Maritime Center on Saturday to help build an artificial oyster reef on the banks of the Chechessee River. Peter Kingsley-Smith, a biologist with the SC Department of Natural Resources’ shellfish research section, said three different mediums were being used to give oysters a kick start and help new beds form. “We have 120 volunteers gathered to lay out 300 castle blocks and 25 crab pots” for oysters to attach to, he said. “We also have 250 bags of recycled oyster shells” that will be laid in the mud near the other oyster attractants. Kingsley-Smith said the science collaborative throughout the  state would not be possible without a grant from the non-profit National Estuarine Research Society.

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