La. oyster reef protects tribal mounds

An artificial reef, made of about 200 tons of oyster shells, has been erected near Montegut, La., to protect historical Native American burial mounds threatened by erosion and rising sea levels. More than 100 volunteers – from the Pointe-au-Chien tribe and the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana - completed the partially-submerged wall this month. The wall will act as an artificial reef that fosters the growth of oysters and other marine life while protecting the tribe’s collection of valued mounds. The reefs act as “speed bumps” in slowing down storms before they strike coastal communities and damage fragile marshlands, CRCL Executive Director Kimberly Reyher told NOLA.com. The oyster shell recycling program prevents tons of shells from being dumped into landfills. Shells returned to the Gulf of Mexico foster more growth of oysters because young ones prefer to latch onto old shells to begin their final stages of development. The Montegut reef is the second built by CRCL. In 2016, the coalition completed a half-mile reef in St. Bernard Parish using more than 4,000 tons of New Orleans-area restaurants’ recycled shells. (Source: NOLA.com 04/18/19)