ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Chesapeake Oyster Alliance announced in early March that 6 billion oysters have been added to the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers since 2017.
To put that into perspective, if a person planted one oyster a second, it would take them 32 years to reach 1 billion. Partners in the alliance — a coalition of nonprofits, oyster growers, academic institutions and business owners — along with federal and state agencies have planted six times more than that in just seven years.
Oysters are a key species in waterways. They filter out excess nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus and sustain local seafood markets. Their reefs provide habitats for fish and blue crabs. But according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, only about 3% of the Bay’s oyster population remains because of disease, overfishing and poor water quality.
The alliance, founded by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, wants to see a total of 10 billion oysters added to the Bay by 2025. That number includes the progress from the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, in which Bay states pledged to restore oyster reefs in 10 Bay tributaries by 2025. As of 2022, seven of the 10, plus a bonus branch of the Elizabeth River, have been restored. The watershed agreement goal is on track for 2025.
The oyster alliance attributes the accelerated restoration to help from state and federal agencies. Organizations like NOAA identify where reefs should be built using sonar. In areas where the bottom is hard enough, builders can create a reef structure of crushed stone or shell. If there is a natural or constructed reef with no oysters, hatcheries can use shells with attached larvae, or “spat on shell” to seed reefs.
The alliance also announced its fourth year of Oyster Innovation Grants. The $140,000 of grant funds went to 15 organizations in Virginia and Maryland for making progress in oyster technology, research and more.