Reef‐building oysters historically provided the main structural and ecological component of temperate and subtropical coastal waters globally. While the loss of oyster reefs is documented in most regions globally, assessments of the status of Asian oyster reefs are limited. The feasibility of restoration within the regional biological and societal contexts needs to be assessed before implementation. Here, we quantified the current distribution of natural oyster reefs (Crassostrea spp.) in the shallow coastal waters of Hong Kong, assessed the biological feasibility of reestablishing reefs using natural recruitment, and examined their current and potential water filtration capacity as a key ecosystem service provided by restoration. We found natural low‐relief oyster beds in the low intertidal coastal areas at a subset of the locations surveyed. These areas are, however, degraded and have sparse densities of oysters generally <2 years old. Recruitment was high in some areas (>500,000 indiv./m²) and while survival to maturity varied across sites there was adequate larval supply and survival for restoration. Filtration rates for a 1‐year‐old recruit (90 mm length, approximately 30 L/hour per individual) at summer temperatures (30°C) meant that even the small remnant populations are able to provide some filtration services (up to 31.7 ML/hour). High natural recruitment means that oyster reef restoration can be achieved with the addition of hard substrate for recruitment, increased protection of restoration sites, and would not only increase the ecological value of reefs regionally but also serve as a model for future restoration in Asia.

中文翻译：

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在高度发达的海岸线上亚洲牡蛎的恢复潜力

历史上，造礁牡蛎是全球温带和亚热带沿海水域的主要结构和生态成分。尽管全球大多数地区都记录了牡蛎礁的丧失，但对亚洲牡蛎礁状况的评估仍然有限。在实施之前，需要评估在区域生物和社会范围内恢复的可行性。在这里，我们量化了天然牡蛎礁（Crassostreaspp。），评估了利用自然资源募集重建珊瑚礁的生物学可行性，并检查了珊瑚礁目前和潜在的滤水能力，作为恢复提供的关键生态系统服务。我们在被调查地点的一个低潮间带沿海地区发现了天然的浅浮雕牡蛎床。但是，这些地区退化，牡蛎的密度稀疏，一般小于2岁。在某些地区招聘人数很高（> 500,000个/ m ²），虽然各个地点的成年生存率各不相同，但有足够的幼体供应和恢复成活率。1岁新兵（90毫米长，每人每小时约30升/小时）在夏季温度（30摄氏度）下的过滤率意味着即使是少量的残留人口也能够提供一些过滤服务（高达31.7 ML /小时）。较高的自然募集量意味着牡蛎礁的恢复可以通过添加坚硬的底物进行募集，增强对恢复地点的保护，不仅可以提高区域礁的生态价值，而且可以作为亚洲未来恢复的典范。