The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources is working to restore over 1,000 acres of oyster reefs.

The DMR manages 17 natural oyster reefs. About 97 percent of the commercially harvested oysters come from the reefs in the western Mississippi Sound, primarily from Pass Marianne, Telegraph and Pass Christian reefs.

The DMR delayed the opening Mississippi’s oyster season because of Hurricane Gustav. There are 120 oyster fishermen on the Mississippi coast.

The reefs are being restored by distributing over 62,000 cubic yards of cultch material, which consist of oyster shells and limestone. The $3 million in restoration is being funded by the National Oceanic and Atmopheric Adminstration.