Ever heard of a VOG (aka a vertical oyster garden)? These are one of my favorite ways to promote community involvement, improve the quality of our local waterways, and use resources that may seem like trash. At home, oysters are one of the most popular items on seafood restaurant menus. Have you ever stopped to wonder what restaurants do with all of the leftover oyster shells once people are done eating from them? In southwest FL, vertical oyster gardens have become more and more prevalent as people discover their benefits. The best part about VOGs is that they don’t have to be large-scale, like some other living shoreline projects. Instead, if each homeowner with a dock dropped 2 VOGs into the water, local water quality would improve tremendously, increasing ecosystem diversity. VOGs are designed for coastal community residents to be involved and make a difference, not for a huge coastal adjustment.
Why are VOGs important?
One of the best things about VOGs is that they are extremely easy to make and require little to no maintenance, they do all of the work on their own. VOGs have become one of the most important habitats for sessile organisms like barnacles, oysters, worms, small crustaceans, etc. that can’t latch onto hardened shorelines like seawalls. Live oysters are so incredibly important to filtering water, and they are also a food source for marine birds and fish. With this living substrate, not only is water quality increased, but there is a more diverse local environment. In Manatee and Sarasota counties, VOGs are free for homeowners with a dock to make. This is so important because not only does it involve the community, but it also educates homeowners on conservation and how to foster healthy waters, because so many of their lives revolve around our local waterways.
How are VOGs made?
VOGs are made by drilling holes in empty, clean oyster shells and hanging them on a rope. There are a few different varieties of VOGs… some are long with lots of oyster shells on them, some are shorter, some have spaces between the oyster shells, while others stack them right on top. Studies are being conducted to determine the best way to make VOGs and how to arrange the shells so that the largest number of organisms can grow on them.
Where are VOGs placed?
Most commonly, VOGs are hung from cleats on docks, whether that is at a park or on someone’s private dock. At home, we have roughly 5 VOGs hanging from our dock, and since hanging them up about 4 years ago, we’ve noticed more fish on our lights, more barnacles on the VOGs, and more crabs in our traps. When placed near mangroves, VOGs act as another water filter to improve water quality for all organisms.
As coastal communities discover more resources, such as VOGs and other living shorelines, to promote ecosystem diversity, conservation efforts, and improved water quality, structures like seawalls and jetties have become less popular. Hopefully, with more community involvement, living shorelines will become more common in coastal communities because of the many ways they help our local ecosystems.
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