Living Breakwaters

Oyster reefs were the lagoon's natural seawalls: Before development, the Indian River Lagoon's shoreline was protected by long, continuous oyster reefs. These reefs — built up over centuries by generations of living and dead oysters — acted as natural breakwaters. What a breakwater does: A breakwater is anything that sits offshore and breaks the force of waves before they reach the shore. Oyster reefs did exactly this: the reefs sat just offshore, waves hit the reef and lost their energy, and the calm water behind the reef let sediment settle and mangroves grow. A living structure: Unlike a concrete seawall, an oyster reef is alive. Oysters grow on top of dead oyster shells, building the reef higher and wider over time. The reef grows with the sea, self-repairs after storms, and provides habitat the whole time. The size: Some pre-development oyster reefs along the lagoon were enormous — stretching for miles, several feet high, and wide enough to walk on at low tide. Early explorers wrote about reefs so large you could harvest oysters by the bushel without denting them. These reefs were the lagoon's armor — protecting the shore, calming the water, and building habitat all at once.