Oysters are a vital species in estuaries; providing shoreline protection, water filtration, and biodiversity support. Mobile Bay has seen its oyster populations decrease by over 80% from historic levels.  Despite years of restoration efforts—primarily focused on shell and limestone cultch plantings—larval recruitment has been insufficient to establish self-sustaining reefs. 

Mobile Baykeeper is implementing a comprehensive approach to restoration that combines citizen science, industry, and academia to create a program driven by the community. The Mobile Baykeeper Oyster Restoration program addresses two main bottlenecks to oyster restoration: (1) the limited availability of restoration-grade oysters, and (2) the scarcity of permitted sites for effective deployment. 
The program also focuses on addressing source–sink reef dynamics through two complementary projects. The Intertidal Oyster Planting project will create 200 rigorously monitored larval source reefs in tidal creeks in the Mississippi Sound and lower Mobile Bay. These reefs will be stocked with adult oysters donated or purchased from farms across Alabama. 

To address the decline of the reef in the mid- to upper Mobile Bay, where tidal marshes have largely disappeared, the Oyster Keeper project places restoration in the hands of the community by utilizing homeowner piers to host adult oysters, which function as protected larval source reefs. These reefs will send larvae to set on breakwaters and bulkheads in the surrounding area while also providing homeowners with an opportunity to connect with their watershed through data collection and oyster maintenance.  

By integrating community engagement programs with industry involvement, this program aims to establish a robust and resilient oyster restoration community in Alabama.