Oysters For Clean Water

What is a Vertical Oyster Garden (VOG)?

Vertical Oyster Gardens bring new life to our coastal waters. By filtering and clearing the water, oysters allow sunlight to reach the seagrass below — restoring vital habitats for fish, crabs, manatees, and countless marine species. These simple, dockside gardens are small actions with a big impact, helping entire ecosystems breathe, grow, and thrive.

Oysters Clear WaterSo Sunlight Reaches Grass

Oysters at Work: Clearing the Way for Seagrass

Vertical Oyster Gardens (VOGs) play a quiet but powerful role in helping seagrass thrive. As oysters grow, they naturally filter the water — removing cloudiness and excess nutrients that block sunlight. With clearer water, sunlight can once again reach the seagrass below, allowing these vital underwater meadows to flourish. Each VOG becomes a small beacon of renewal, helping restore balance, beauty, and life to our coastal waters.

Help Clean Our Waters

Vertical oyster gardens do more than clean the water — they also help restore balance to the ecosystem. By filtering out excess nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, oysters reduce the conditions that fuel harmful algal blooms. The clearer water they create allows more sunlight to reach the bottom, supporting the growth of vital seagrass meadows. In addition, clusters of oysters can slow wave action, which helps strengthen shorelines and reduce erosion along docks and waterfronts.

How to Start a Vertical Oyster Garden

Get the Materials
Collect sturdy rope or marine line and small cages or mesh bags.
Add Shell or Substrate
Place clean oyster shells or other natural substrate in the bags — this attracts baby oysters (spat).
Hang from Your Dock
Tie the bags securely to your dock so they hang a few feet under water.
Let Nature Do the Work
Oysters will attach, grow, and start filtering water while providing shelter for crabs, shrimp, and fish.
Check Occasionally
Make sure the bags are submerged, not resting on the bottom, and replace worn rope as needed.

Benefits of VOG’s

By hanging vertical oyster gardens off our docks, we strengthen the health of our Aquatic Preserve in several ways. Oysters naturally filter pollutants, with each one cleaning up to 50 gallons of water per day, which helps improve water clarity for seagrass meadows. The gardens also create new habitat for crabs, shrimp, and juvenile fish, increasing biodiversity right under our docks. Over time, this added filtration and habitat support a healthier food web, stabilize our shorelines, and enhance the long-term resilience of Charlotte Harbor’s protected waters.

Why VOG’s Matter

50 Gallons

Each oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water a day, improving clarity and reducing excess nutrients.

Habitat Creation

The hanging structures provide shelter for small fish, crabs, and shrimp, boosting local biodiversity.

Restoration Impact

They support oyster populations and improve coastal ecosystems, especially in places like Charlotte Harbor.

Ways to Support Us

Join our conservation programs to protect and restore our island’s ecosystems. Volunteer your time and talents, make a donation to support essential resources, or participate in our adoption program by nurturing sea oats or mangrove propagules, or adopting a mini reef to aid in marine life restoration.

Volunteer

Donate

Adopt

Hand’s on Programs

Our programs are designed for volunteers eager to learn about the ecosystem! Participate in activities such as building Vertical Oyster Gardens, propagating mangroves, restoring shorelines, and planting sea oats. Unlike traditional lectures, these hands-on experiences allow you to engage directly with the environment and make a tangible impact.

Clean Islands

Volunteer Island Cleanup Team

The Clean Islands volunteer team is dedicated to preserving the beauty of our island. Our passionate group of volunteers comes together to clean vital areas, including easements and beach access points, ensuring our environment remains vibrant and accessible. Thanks to our generous community members and visitors, we have successfully removed approximately 10 tons of construction debris and 6 tons of vegetation, all fueled by the energy and big hearts of our volunteers. Join us in making a real difference—get involved and help us keep BOCILLA Island beautiful.

Our Past Events

Oysters For Clean Water

Coming this Fall 2025

Join us in this vital mission to protect and revitalize our aquatic ecosystems! VOGs consist of oyster shells strung together with lengths of rope, designed to hang below docks. Building on the success of our pilot projects at the Marine Life Park and Artificial Reef, we are excited to introduce our upcoming program this fall. This effort not only aims to enrich our park’s biodiversity but also encourages community members to establish similar gardens at their docks.

Learn More

Mini Reef Habitat Program

20 Mini Reefs were installed by Ocean Habitat on May 17, 2023 at the Artificial Reef & Marine Life Park.

If you have a dock, you can purchase your very own Mini Reef, and we’ll help you install it. And if you don’t have a dock, you can still join the fun by adopting a Mini Reef that will be installed at a host location or one of our parks. Best of all, you can adopt a portion of a Mini Reef — every contribution helps, and together we’ll build reefs that clean the water and bring marine life back to our islands. Each Mini Reef filters up to 30,000 gallons of seawater daily while creating a habitat for fish and other marine life.

Learn More

We are a Nationally Certified Wildlife Habitat!

We are proud to be a Nationally Certified Wildlife Habitat Community, recognizing that our community as a whole met the requirements by certifying 40 individual properties and providing ongoing education that supports and celebrates wildlife conservation.

Receiving a Certified Wildlife Habitat® designation from the National Wildlife Federation means that your property provides the essential elements wildlife need to thrive—food, water, cover, places to raise young, and sustainable practices that support the local ecosystem. This certification recognizes your commitment to creating and maintaining a healthy environment where native plants and animals can flourish.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter!

Be the first to learn about our Island Living lecture series and exciting fundraisers, where we unite to support preservation and environmental education! Stay informed about our upcoming clean-up events and hands-on demonstrations in our parks, like creating oyster strings that benefit our beautiful shores!

Bocilla Islands Conservancy Overview
Bocilla Islands Conservancy is a public, nonprofit, non-political organization working in partnership with the residents of the Bocilla Islands chain, including Don Pedro Island, Knight Island, Little Gasparilla Island, and Thornton Key. Our mission is dedicated to the long-term preservation of open, undeveloped spaces and natural habitats across the Bocilla Islands. The Conservancy can customize conservation easements through land acquisition, ensuring sensitive habitats are preserved and protected to maintain the ecological balance of the islands.

Disclaimer:
The content provided on this website is for informational purposes only and reflects the views and opinions of Bocilla Islands Conservancy members. It is not intended as legal, financial, or professional advice. Bocilla Islands Conservancy assumes no responsibility for errors, omissions, or the accuracy of the information provided. Visitors are encouraged to consult qualified professionals regarding any concerns or decisions. By using this site, you agree that Bocilla Islands Conservancy and its contributors shall not be held liable for any actions taken based on the information presented here.