Volunteers begin raising oysters along coastlines

Volunteers along multiple U.S. coasts, including Mississippi, are raising oysters to help restore reefs.

Oyster reefs are critical for coastal ecosystems, like ours here on the Coast.

Each oyster filters 25 to 50 gallons of water a day and spat glue themselves to larger oysters and grow. The reefs provide habitat for shrimp, crabs, and many kinds of fish and can also protect shorelines.

Just in Maryland, Virginia, Mississippi, and Alabama, there are more than 1,000 oyster gardens.

Most are in wire cages hanging from private docks or open-topped floats tied up like dinghies.