‘Oyster castles’ to help keep a South Carolina community safe from erosion

Structures called oyster castles are now protecting a South Carolina coastline from erosion.

In Laurel Bay – a community with many military families from the nearby Marine Corps base – homes and a park sit right next to Port Royal Sound.

But over time, coastal salt marshes and uplands along this coast have eroded away. And climate change is expected to make the problem worse.

Hopkins: “With increasing levels of water and sea level rise, increasing storm events, we’re seeing that erosion is exacerbated.”

Susanna Massalon Hopkins is with the Nature Conservancy. The nonprofit partnered with federal agencies to protect Laurel Bay with oyster castles.

These blocks stack on top of each other to create a wall along the shoreline that breaks up waves and reduces erosion. When complete next month, it will be 2,000 feet long.

The wall will provide habitat for oysters, a vital coastal species. And as the animals attach to it over time, they’ll build the wall into a reef that can grow higher as sea levels rise.

Hopkins says at the oldest section of wall, they’ve already seen sediment fill back in, grass regrow – and plenty of oysters.

Hopkins: “It’s really inspirational to see it work, and it’s great that we can already talk about the benefits that it’s providing.”

Reporting credit: Ethan Freedman / ChavoBart Digital Media