Abstract: In many temperate estuaries, oyster reef is a very special marine habitat which plays many important ecological functions such as purifying water body, providing aquatic animals’ habitat, protecting biodiversity, and coupling ecosystem energy flow. In last century, as the results of over-fishing, environmental pollution, disease, and habitat destruction, the oyster population in many temperate estuaries had a persistent decrease, which led to the destruction of estuarine ecosystem and the serious eutrophication in estuaries. To restore estuarine ecosystem, purify water quality, and promote sustainable fisheries, a series of oyster reef restoration activities were developed in many estuaries in the past two decades. Especially in the eastern coast and Mexico gulf of USA, lots of artificial oyster reefs were built, and many studies revealed that the established artificial oyster reefs could restore the ecological function of natural habitat after 2-3 years. This paper introduced the first oyster releasing and breeding engineering in China, i . e . , the oyster reef in the southern and northern dams of Yangtze River estuary. The recent two years monitoring results showed that the oyster population on the oyster reef increased promptly, and the ecosystem was being restored gradually. There are many scientific issues needed be studied in the future, including the basic biology (diseases and molecular systematic evolution),key techniques, scientific procedure, and success criteria of oyster reef restoration.

Key words: Otis tarda dybowskil, Breeding season, Foraging habitat, Habitat selection, Grassland