Boat wakes enhance oyster reef mortality in a short‐fetch estuary

Abstract

Oyster reefs are vital to estuarine ecosystems, providing key services such as water filtration and shoreline stabilization. However, they are increasingly threatened by human activities, particularly boat wakes. This study investigates the relative impacts of boat wakes and wind waves on reef mortality in the Guana‐Tolomato‐Matanzas estuary, Florida. By analyzing boat traffic and wind data, we quantify the energy impacting each reef. Dead reefs experience significantly higher boat wake energy, while live reefs show only slightly higher wake energy than wind waves. Similar salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and water depth for both reef types suggest boat wakes as the primary driver of mortality. Boat traffic increased by 140% from 2015 to 2023, pushing wake energy toward the identified critical threshold of 77 MJ m−1 for reef viability. These findings emphasize the urgent need for mitigation strategies, such as speed limits and wake‐free zones, to protect remaining reefs and their ecosystem services.