Vertical Oyster Gardens (VOGS) like the ones shown above were installed by the Oyster Boys along the bridge over the lagoon at Bay Park on Monday, March 2nd. The shell on the VOGS is perfect habitat for oysters and other sea life that need a hard surface to anchor on. Oysters are an important part of our marine environment as they filter up to 50 gallons of seawater every day removing nitrogen and phosphorus that cloud the water column hindering seagrass growth and providing a food source for Red Tide and other Harmful Algal Blooms.
Along with clam seeding at the mouth of the park’s lagoon via START’s partnership with the Sarasota Bay Watch, the VOG installation is the second phase of START’s effort to enhance the park’s major stormwater treatment program through a generous grant from the Sarasota Bay Rotary Club. Bay Park’s holistic stormwater treatment program includes a “train” of baffle boxes, a denitrification trench, treatment ponds, marshes and mangroves, that at completion, will annually filter over 300 million gallons of stormwater from North Tamiami Trail and 17 acres of surface parking before it can flow into Sarasota Bay. START is proud to be a part of this landmark water quality project.