ReefBallsprovidinghomeformairinelife
ReefBallsprovidinghomeformairinelife
local_story_292172240 091203reef
ReefBallsprovidinghomeformairinelife
'Reef balls' providing homes for marine life Officials pleased with results of effort thus far By PAMELA WOOD, Staff Writer Few people ever get to see what goes on below the surface of the bay, where oysters grow, crabs scuttle and fish dart around. On a gray, foggy morning last week, a crew from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation hoisted an innovative part of the bay's underwater life to the surface to show it off - a holey, concrete "reef ball" covered in oysters. Dark and a bit scary-looking from far away, the reef ball hauled up from the bottom of Eastern Bay is actually prime habitat for all sorts of underwater critters. Environmental officials were pleased with the looks of the reef ball, one of dozens that were planted at the bottom of the bay last fall. Though they made sure the reef balls were looking good before inviting a boatload of journalists to the site, officials weren't so sure what they'd find when they first monitored the site earlier this year. "The really exciting thing is we didn't entirely know what we were going to find," said Stephanie Reynolds, a fisheries scientist for the foundation. When scientists checked the balls earlier this year - by sending divers down and hauling reef balls up - they were pleased to find them covered with healthy oysters, mussels and other critters. "We saw virtually no dead oysters on any of these," Ms. Reynolds said. Reef balls have been a popular restoration project in the Chesapeake....