Mobile Baykeeper will deploy 120,000 oysters in Mobile Bay in 2025. But like most of our work, we can’t do it alone. We need folks like you to help us revive our waters through our Oyster Keeper program.
The oysters in this program will be grown and deployed as part of a larger restorative effort to rebuild the oyster population in Mobile Bay. They are not for commercial use or consumption. Once these oysters are deployed into the bay, they will stay there for the rest of their lives.
In order to deploy 120,000 oysters, we are raising oysters on the ends of piers in two locations: Bon Secour and Fort Morgan, until they are big enough to be deployed into the bay. These oysters will require weekly maintenance to ensure their survival until they are ready to be deployed. That’s where the need for volunteers like you comes into play.
When you sign up for a volunteer slot, you will select either the Bon Secour or Fort Morgan locations. After we’ve processed volunteer information someone from our team will reach out to you with the specific location details.
We will send out a team of volunteers along with our Oyster Keeper team to piers in Bon Secour and Fort Morgan locations for weekly maintenance of the oysters. Maintenance includes lifting the oyster cages out of the water; cleaning the cages with a power washer; checking for predators in the cages (oyster drills, blue crabs, etc.), any other problems with the oysters, seeing how the oysters are growing, etc.; splitting oysters between cages; and other tasks along those lines.
Volunteer Requirements
What You’ll Need
We will provide gloves and any other materials needed.
