Oyster populations in many coastal areas have decreased as a result of overharvesting and habitat degradation. In order to help restore oyster populations and natural water filtration, many restoration efforts utilize plastic mesh to reseed oyster reefs. However, plastics do not break down or mineralize in seawater, instead they break down into smaller and smaller pieces eventually becoming what is termed microplastics. One alternative may be the use of a cathodically protected steel which develops a mineral accretion layer and enhances calcareous marine growth. In order to test the efficacy of this material for oyster restoration and its ability to promote oyster growth, a field experiment was designed to compare it to traditional plastic mats at three locations. At all sites, the steel mats were able to promote the recruitment of oysters at a rate equal to or greater than the plastic mats. The amount of mineral accretion and the total number of oysters present on the mats were dependent on the environmental and ecological conditions of the test site. The steel mats were easy to work with, provided sufficient oyster settlement, and gain in weight over time. This makes them an attractive alternative to plastic oyster restoration mats, with implications for creating artificial reefs or living shorelines.

由于过度捕捞和栖息地退化，许多沿海地区的牡蛎种群减少了。为了帮助恢复牡蛎种群和自然水过滤，许多恢复工作利用塑料网来种牡蛎礁。但是，塑料不会在海水中分解或矿化，而是会分解成越来越小的碎片，最终成为所谓的微塑料。一种替代方法是使用受阴极保护的钢，该钢可形成矿物质积聚层并促进钙质海洋生长。为了测试这种材料对牡蛎恢复的功效及其促进牡蛎生长的能力，设计了一个野外实验，将其与三个位置的传统塑料垫进行比较。在所有地点，钢垫能够以等于或大于塑料垫的速率促进牡蛎的繁殖。垫上存在的矿物质增加量和牡蛎总数取决于测试地点的环境和生态条件。钢垫易于使用，提供了足够的牡蛎沉降，并且随着时间的推移增加了重量。这使它们成为塑料牡蛎修复垫的有吸引力的替代品，对创建人造礁石或活动海岸线具有重要意义。