Port volunteers at Oyster Reef Restoration event.

Port Houston is committed to investing in initiatives that advance environmental stewardship efforts in our region. During Port Houston’s recent Oyster Reef Restoration project, more than 40 port volunteers, including employees’ families and friends, participated in a number of activities to create new habitat for thriving oyster communities.

Volunteers bagged more than 7,140 pounds of shells, which were used to create 32 new feet of oyster reef. Individual mesh bags, containing roughly 30 pounds of recycled, dried-out oyster shells were assembled by volunteers, then loaded into larger plastic bins and floated out into Galveston’s Sweetwater Preserve. The bags were then carefully placed in a pyramid-like structure underwater to create the new reef.

Oyster habitats are vital to the health of Galveston Bay, acting as natural water purifiers that effectively filter nutrients, fine sediments and toxins from the water column. Oysters constantly circulate water through their shell, filtering around two gallons of water per hour.

“Port Houston strives to improve local communities, even when those are underwater communities of oysters,” said Port Houston Director of Community Relations and Events Leslie Herbst.