Port Commissioners approve adding amendment for oyster project to Port Master Plan

SAN DIEGO—The Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners approved an amendment to the Port Master Plan (PMP) adding a pilot project to create a native Olympia oyster reef in the South San Diego Bay adjacent to the Chula Vista Wildlife Reserve. At the Dec. 8 board meeting, commissioners adopted a resolution approving a Port Master Plan amendment for the San Diego Bay Native Oyster Living Shoreline Pilot Project and directed certification with the California Coastal Commission. “Proposed development in the Wetlands designation in this subarea would be for a living shoreline pilot project, which would involve the placement of oyster reef ball elements that consist of “baycrete” or concrete mixed with local sand and shell aggregate, as well as a five-year biological monitoring program with data collection,” the amendment added to the PMP stated. The pilot project would take up 10 acres near the Chula Vista bayfront with the goal of testing the effectiveness of baycrete elements in establishing native oyster reefs that protect shorelines from erosion while providing important habitat for wetlands, aquatic plants and ecologically and commercially important wildlife. While the proposed structures are not considered an allowable use in the Wetlands-designated area, in this case, the project has been...