Vertical Oyster Gardens

Mar 12, 2025 | General News

Vertical Oyster Gardens

A Participatory Science Initiative

 

Interested in being part of Tampa Bay’s restoration story? One way you can get involved is by adopting a Vertical Oyster Garden, or VOG, and installing it off your dock! VOGs are strings of recycled oyster shells collected from local restaurants. When suspended in brackish water, VOGs provide the ideal habitat for young, larval oysters to settle and grow. As they grow, they help to improve water clarity near your home.

ADOPT AND ENROLL A VOG
INSTALLATION GUIDE

Most shorelines in our region are hardened, meaning they are armored with seawalls or riprap. While older seawalls and wood pilings may allow for some oyster growth, most newer materials contain coatings that prevent organisms from attaching. This has reduced the amount of habitat available for oyster growth. By installing a VOG off your dock, you create oyster habitat and contribute to our understanding of oyster distribution in Tampa Bay.

A group of college students sit around a table constructing Vertical Oyster Gardens
A line of Vertical Oyster Gardens hang from a piece of wood, half suspended in the water.
A clear container holds a Vertical Oyster Garden.

What are vertical oyster gardens and why are they important to Tampa Bay?

 

VOGs are recycled oyster shells strung together on a rope or wire and suspended from a dock or seawall.

Oyster reefs are important because they provide:

  • Habitat for birds, fishes, and invertebrates
  • Shoreline stabilization and erosion control
  • Nutrient storage and mitigation
  • Water filtration

One oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day!

A small fish stares at the camera underwater, surrounded by oysters.

ADOPT AND ENROLL YOUR VERTICAL OYSTER GARDEN

Adopt

 

Adopting a vertical oyster garden is easy. Simply drive to one of the VOG Adoption Boxes. After you locate the VOG station and retrieve your VOG, register your VOG below. The form will ask you questions like how many VOGs you are taking, where they will be deployed, and how involved you would like to be. Take your VOGs home, install them on your dock, and watch them grow!

ENROLL YOUR VOG

Install

STEP ONE: GATHER SUPPLIES

  • Your registered VOG
  • An eye screw or wood screw
  • A drill
  • If your dock is significantly higher than the water: twine or line to adjust the height

STEP 2: LOCATE & INSTALL

  • Choose a spot for your VOG. Be sure to choose a spot that has deep enough water to cover the VOG at hide tide.  Keep in mind that oysters need brackish water, so your VOG won’t help restore oysters if you put it in fresh water.
  • Screw the eye screw or wood screw into the side of the dock. If you are using a wood screw, be sure to leave enough of the screw exposed to hang your VOG.
  • Determine the best height to hang your VOG.
    • To calculate the appropriate depth, check the dock pilings and seawalls for oyster/barnacle growth. This is easiest to do at low tide. The region with the greatest amount of barnacle or oyster growth is the optimal location for your VOG.
  • Hang your VOG off the wood screw or eye bolt, making sure that your VOG is in the optimal barnacle growth zone. You may need to use some line or twine to lower the VOG.
  • Remember to be patient; it may take several months for oysters to colonize your VOG.

Already adopted a VOG but need help installing it?

STEP ONE: GATHER THESE SUPPLIES

  • Your registered VOG
    If you have a VOG but need to register it, click here.
  • An eye screw or wood screw
  • A drill
  • If your dock is significantly higher than the water: twine or line to adjust the height

STEP 2: LOCATE & INSTALL

  • Choose a place for your VOG. Be sure to choose a spot with the most water flow and that has deep enough water to cover VOG at hide tide.  Keep in mind that oysters need brackish water, so your VOG won’t help to restore oysters if you try putting in a stormwater pond or freshwater lake.
  • Once you have chosen a good spot for your vertical oyster garden, screw the eye screw or wood screw into the side of the dock. If you are using a wood screw, be sure to leave enough of the screw exposed to hang your VOG off of.
  • After your screw is in place, you will then need to determine the best height or depth to hang your VOG.
  • To calculate appropriate depth for your VOG, check the dock pilings and seawalls for oyster/barnacle growth. This is easiest to do at low tide. The region with the greatest amount of barnacle or oyster growth is the optimal location for your VOG.
  • You can then hang your VOG off the wood screw or eye bolt, making sure that your VOG is in the optimal barnacle growth zone. You may need to use some line or twine to lower the VOG down.
  • Remember to be patient; it may take several months for oysters to colonize your VOG.
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