Oyster shells laid out for a 2016 planting at an oyster restoration sanctuary.
Maryland DNR photo
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will award $10 million to fund new reef construction for a Maryland Department of Natural Resources oyster sanctuary in the Chesapeake Bay.
This grant will last four years and allow for the construction of reef bases on approximately 50 to 75 acres within an existing oyster sanctuary. Additionally, ground truthing can be conducted to assess the area before construction.
Regarding this, Maryland Department of Natural Resources Secretary Josh Kurtz said: "Just as we’re finishing the tributary phase of sanctuary construction and seeding, this $10 million award will help us with future oyster restoration throughout Maryland."
Apart from this project, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources identified other potential sanctuaries, which will be presented at the August 19 meeting of the Oyster Advisory Commission.
This funding is part of NOAA's Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience Projects, which operate under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act.
The Chesapeake Bay Program's 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement has reached its 10th anniversary. Through this agreement, efforts are underway to restore oyster habitat and populations in 10 tributaries—five in Maryland and five in Virginia—by 2025.
According to the Chesapeake Bay Oyster Restoration Update for the summer of 2023, four of Maryland’s five large-scale oyster sanctuaries have been completed.
Additionally, work to complete the site in the Manokin River is underway and is expected to be finished on schedule by 2025. Finally, Harris Creek, the first Maryland sanctuary targeted, is now considered fully and successfully restored.
In late March, the Chesapeake Oyster Alliance (COA) directly added 6 billion oysters to the Chesapeake Bay since 2017 through restoration and aquaculture.
Last year, Maryland achieved record-setting oyster spat plantings. In more detail, it has more than 1,000 acres of restored oyster reefs, equivalent to 1.5 square miles or over 800 football fields.
Furthermore, during the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons, the area oystermen have achieved dockside values of $21.5 million and $31 million, respectively, resulting from the highest oyster landings since 1987.
According to NOAA, oyster reefs provide important habitats for Bay fish and crustaceans, and oysters serve as natural filters that remove excess nutrients. Scientists estimate that adult oysters can filter more than 10 gallons per day in the Chesapeake Bay.