Chesapeake Bay News

Annapolis Seafood Market has partnered with the Oyster Recovery Partnership (ORP) to collect used oyster shells from their stores and participating restaurants to help promote the expansion of oyster beds in the Chesapeake Bay. As part of their program, Annapolis Seafood Market will display educational signage inside each store for their customers to learn how they can participate in this important recycling effort.

Annapolis Seafood Market utilizes five-gallon buckets at each of their locations to collect used oyster shells. During their normal delivery routes, drivers drop the empty buckets, pick up the filled ones then return them to Annapolis Seafood Market’s Distribution Center in Annapolis where they are transferred to a 400-bushel shell collection container.

ORP and its partners collect the shells weekly and transport them to the Horn Point Oyster Hatchery near Cambridge, Maryland where they begin the drying and aging process. Later in the process, young oyster spat are allowed to attach to old shells and re-planted to help repopulate the Bay’s oyster population.

Nearly 100 restaurants and catering companies currently participate in the Shell Recycling Alliance.

For more information visit http://www.oysterrecovery.org/

source:  Oyster Recovery Partnership

According to the State’s recently completed fall oyster survey, the number of spat or baby oysters in Maryland waters is at its highest level since 1997, the survival rate for young oysters is also up, and more Marylanders are looking to start up or expand aquaculture businesses.

Since 1939, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and its predecessor agencies have monitored the status of Maryland’s oyster population via annual field surveys. The survey tracks three critical components of the population: Spatfall Intensity, which measures reproduction levels (recruitment) and offers a window into future population levels; disease infection levels; and annual mortality rates of oysters.

The 2-month 2010 fall population assessment, which encompassed 260 oyster bars and 399 samples throughout the Bay and its tributaries, concluded on December 18.  At nearly 80 spat (baby oysters) per bushel, the 2010 spatfall is the highest since 1997, and about 5 times the 25-year average of 16.

Eleven of the 53 oyster bars included in this index had their highest or second highest spat counts since 1985.  The elevated spatfall was a coast-wide phenomenon, with other mid-Atlantic states also reporting better than average numbers.

Equally encouraging was wide distribution of spat throughout the Bay and its tributaries: While the heaviest counts were in the lower Bay’s higher salinity areas, where reproduction is typically more successful, a moderate spatfall also occurred in lower salinity areas that generally receive little to no spat sets at all.  These included the upper Bay as far north as Pooles Island and the upper reaches of the Chester, Choptank and Patuxent River tributaries. Due to reduced disease pressure, oysters historically have good survivorship in these areas, some of which are now protected sanctuaries under the State’s new oyster plan.

Even more encouraging news for the beleaguered oyster is that the frequency and intensity of diseases remains low, based on December’s interim report from the Paul S. Sarbanes Cooperative Oxford Lab.  Of the two diseases that have devastated populations for decades, Dermo, although still widely distributed, remains below the long-term average for the eighth consecutive year, and MSX appears to again be in retreat after an advance in 2009. View chart.

The survey indicates that oyster survivorship — the percentage of oysters found alive in a sample — was at 88 percent, the highest level since 1985, before diseases put a stranglehold on the population; this is more than double 2002 when record disease levels left only 42 percent of Maryland’s population alive. Scientists are hopeful that favorable mortality in recent years may reflect an increase in disease resistance.

Last year, the State of Maryland adopted regulations to implement a new Oyster Restoration and Aquaculture Development Plan. The plan increased Maryland’s network of oyster sanctuaries from 9 percent to 24 percent of remaining quality habitat; increased areas open to leasing for oyster aquaculture, and established a $2.2 million financial assistance program for aquaculture interests; and maintained 76 percent of the Bay’s remaining quality oyster habitat for a more targeted, sustainable, and scientifically managed public oyster fishery.

Since last fall 26 Marylanders have applied for 35 new leases to grow oysters and the State has received 27 applications for more than $2 million in available funding for start up and expansion of aquaculture businesses.  Blue crab disaster funds are being used to support the program.

In a coordinated effort among the Oyster Recovery Partnership, the University of Maryland, the NOAA Chesapeake Bay office and DNR, over 2.5 billion hatchery produced spat have been produced and planted in Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay since 2000, and thousands of acres of buried shell have been reclaimed from derelict oyster reefs.

Since 1994, the Chesapeake Bay oyster population has languished at 1 percent of historic levels. Over the past 25 years, the amount of suitable oyster habitat has declined by 80 percent — from 200,000 acres to just 36,000 acres.

Maryland’s annual oyster harvest has fallen from an average of 2.5 million bushels in the late 1960s to about 100,000 bushels a year since 2002, while the number of oystermen working Maryland’s portion of the Bay has dwindled from more than 2000 to just 550.

source: MD DNR press release

The Oyster Recovery Partnership launched Maryland’s first Oyster Shell Recycling Alliance in Baltimore, MD together with more than 20 restaurants, catering companies and seafood wholesalers, the regional oyster shucking community and volunteers. The Alliance will focus on collecting used oyster and clam shells from restaurants and caterers in the Baltimore/Annapolis/Washington, DC metro area.

Oyster shell is a limited resource which provides crucial natural habitat for new oysters in the Chesapeake Bay. Shells are used exclusively by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Horn Point hatchery for its oyster setting process.

Local oyster shuckers, watermen and Oyster Recovery Partnership staff are conducting ongoing pickups delivered to three dumpsters in the region. The shell are then transported via Oyster Recovery Partnership vehicles and deposited to the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) Horn Point Lab Hatchery in Cambridge, MD for aging. About one year after collection, the hatchery attaches small oysters (“spat”) to the shells and they are replanted into the Bay on strategically-designated areas by the Oyster Recovery Partnership in cooperation with our many partners including the UMCES, Department of Natural Resources (DNR), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Army Corp of Engineers, University of Maryland, Maryland Watermen Association and Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Over the last 18 months, the pilot program collected more than 3,000 bushels or 1.5 million shells from local catering companies and on-call pickups. The successful pilot immediately attracted 20 high-profile restaurants and caterers who are now official Alliance partners. The goal is to expand the collection points across Maryland and Washington, DC. It is estimated that approximately 15 million new oysters planted be planted back into the Chesapeake Bay as a result of this initiative thus far.

“We believe we can collect about 5,000 bushels in our first Alliance year, enough shell to provide substrate for 25 million spat on shell,” said Vernon Johnson, a nationally-recognized oyster shucking competitor and Alliance volunteer. “Whether it’s one oyster or one million, every oyster shell makes a difference.”

The Alliance’s 2010 Season is sponsored by a generous donation by Maryland citizen Doug Legum and matching grant funds provided by DNR and NOAA. Oyster Recovery Partnership is currently seeking a 2011 Season sponsor.

Only a handful of other States currently have shell collection programs, including South Carolina and New Hampshire. Each state has customized their shell collection process to take advantage of the local oyster consumption habits. In the case of Maryland, a majority of shells are generated from catered events like Bull and Oyster Roasts.

Over the last century, the Chesapeake Bay has seen a dramatic decline of its native oyster population. A healthy oyster reef not only filters the Bay’s dirty waters, but also provides crucial habitat for an underwater community that furnishes valuable life support for blue crabs and fish. According officials ORP processed, cleaned and transported 60,000 bushels of shell in 2009 that was in turn used to plant more than 650 million baby oysters back to the Bay.

Alliance Partners

Annapolis

Boatyard Bar & Grill
Middleton’s Tavern
Federal House
Rams Head Tavern
McGarvey’s Saloon

Baltimore

Atlantic Catering
McCormick & Schmick
Bob’s Seafood
Michael’s Eight Avenue
Café Hon
Oceanaire
Harbor Court Hotel
Ocean Pride
Nicks Cross Street
Phillips Seafood
Nick’s Fish House
Ryleighs
Mama’s on the Half Shell
Woodberry Kitchen

Grasonville

W.H. Harris Seafood

D.C.

Old Ebbitt Grill

Oyster shells are collected into 5 gallon containers with lids. Full containers, free of trash, should be assessable for easy pick-up. ORP requests a weekly minimum of 5 containers to be a participant for regular pickup. Individual citizen participation is also encouraged. There are several places in Maryland to drop used oyster shell.

Visit www.oysterrecovery.org to learn more.  Anyone interested in participating can sign up on the ORP website or contact Bryan Gomes on 410.990.4970.

source: ORP press release

With the help of several watermen and volunteers, Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Oyster Recovery Partnership (ORP) staff collected the first batch of oysters grown through Maryland’s citizen oyster growing program from private piers along the Tred Avon River, and planted them on a sanctuary near Oxford.

“I am very pleased at the success of Marylanders Grow Oysters,” said Governor Martin O’Malley, who launched the program last September. “Our citizen stewards in Talbot County have not only done a terrific job giving these baby oysters a head start on life, but they also have been a source of inspiration for other conservation minded Marylanders; this year, we are expanding the program to eleven additional Bay tributaries.”

Under the program, which is run by DNR with assistance from the ORP, 177 waterfront pier owners along the Tred Avon have been tending oyster spat in 858 cages along the Tred Avon since October.

“As people become more concerned about the future of our children and the future of our planet, they become more interested in becoming part of the solution,” said DNR Secretary John Griffin. “Through programs like this one and Marylanders Plant Trees, people are able to contribute to the health of our natural assets, connect with our natural world, and see immediate results.”

With the help of local coordinators, this year’s program will include citizens along the Annemessex, Corsica, Magothy, lower Nanticoke, lower Patuxent, Severn, South, St. Mary’s and Wicomico (Western Shore) Rivers, as well as La Trappe and San Domingo Creeks.

“Whether it’s one million oysters from this program, or the 450 million already planted this year through our state and federal partnerships, every oyster plays a vital role in the recovery of the Chesapeake Bay,” said Stephan Abel, Executive Director of ORP.

The oysters for the program come from the University of Maryland hatchery at Horn Point and the DNR Piney Point hatchery in St. Mary’s County. DNR oversees the project, with the Oyster Recovery Partnership playing a major role in leading both production and distribution. Each river has one or more local coordinators, which are essential to the program, donating their time and energy to advertise, enroll growers, tally contact information, and help distribute oyster cages.

Information on Marylanders Grow Oysters and Marylanders Plant Trees is available at the State’s Smart, Green & Growing website: www.green.maryland.gov.

Maryland’s citizen oyster growing program has invited 12 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to coordinate oyster growing efforts in their local tributaries in 2009. Launched by Governor Martin O’Malley in September 2008, Marylanders Grow Oysters fosters stewardship of the Chesapeake Bay among citizens, and creates living oyster reef populations in protected sanctuaries to help restore the iconic species.

“We are thrilled that these organizations have been selected and will help expand this exciting program,” said Governor O’Malley. “By becoming leaders in their tributaries for Maryland’s oyster growing efforts, they will inspire others to become stewards of our waterways and promote healthy, plentiful oyster populations for many years to come.”

These 12 NGOs, located in 11 different tributaries in Maryland, will act as local project coordinators who will identify waterfront property owners willing to become oyster growers and deliver oyster cages and oysters to growers in the tributary.

NGOs include:

Magothy River Association

Severn River Association

South River Association

Coastal Conservation Association and Southern MD Oyster Cultivation Society

Wicomico Scenic River Commission

St. Mary’s River Watershed Association

Corsica River Conservancy

San Domingo Environmental Concern

La Trappe Environmental Concern

ORP and Nanticoke River Watershed Association

Annemessex Ridge Property Owners Association

Through the program, citizen volunteers tend to young oysters growing in wire mesh cages suspended from private piers for their first year of life. The oyster spat and cages are provided by DNR and other program partners at no charge to the volunteers. The oysters require minimal care – mostly rinsing the cages every two weeks.

Citizen oyster growers enjoy the personal rewards of stewardship and learn about oysters while contributing to the enhancement of an oyster reef in their local tributary. The year-old oysters are then collected and planted in a local oyster sanctuary, and a new group of young oysters are distributed to participating growers to start the process again.

The program still welcomes interested NGOs to apply for 2009. Visit http://www.oysters.maryland.gov/pdfs/Oyster_App_Doc.pdf to obtain an application, and contact Chris Judy at 410-260-8259 or cjudy@dnr.state.md.us for any additional information.

The Marylanders Grow Oysters Program is being managed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources in conjunction with the Oyster Recovery Partnership, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. For more information about Marylanders Grow Oysters visit www.dnr.maryland.gov/oysterproject.

On February 24, 2009 the Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced the next phase of a project involving the Oyster Recovery Partnership (ORP) and Chesapeake Bay watermen on the state’s oyster bar rehabilitation program. The project is part of a plan to help mitigate economic losses from the declining blue crab fishery, while also helping to restore the Chesapeake Bay.

“Together with the Oyster Recovery Partnership, Maryland is taking action to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay, while ensuring that watermen have opportunities to continue to thrive,” said Governor O’Malley. “We are especially thankful to our congressional delegation and Maryland General Assembly for supporting funding which enabled these sustainable measures to be put into action.”

For the next 12 weeks, about 475 watermen will work to recover and clean oyster bars in the Tangier Sound and the Patuxent, Choptank, Tred Avon, Wicomico and Severn Rivers. Watermen will use their boats and dredge equipment to remove silt and sediment from the tops of once historically healthy oyster bars in order to prepare them for a natural spat set and/or hatchery seed planting.

The oyster bar rehabilitation program began in November of 2008 and once complete will have provided at least 10 days of paid work to over 500 watermen. Every year, the Chesapeake Bay loses 2,600 acres of hard bottom oyster habitat. By the end of these projects watermen will have reclaimed shell on 1,000 acres of oyster reefs.

DNR, ORP & Watermen Begin Work Rehabilitating Oyster Bars in Tangier Sound, Severn & Patuxent Rivers

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Oyster Recovery Partnership (ORP) expect to hire more than 520 watermen for oyster bar restoration work as part of Governor Martin O’Malley’s plan to help mitigate economic losses from the declined blue crab fishery, while also helping to restore the Chesapeake Bay.  An additional 84 watermen are expected to be hired for land-based work that will begin later this year.

“United with the Maryland Watermen’s Association and the Oyster Recovery Partnership, we’re keeping Maryland watermen working and protecting the viability of local businesses that rely on blue crabs, while giving the species time to rebuild,” said Governor Martin O’Malley. “Our State and federal government invested in work projects for watermen to help strengthen the industry for the future. The Chesapeake Bay also benefits from these projects that utilize watermen’s skills, gear and intimate knowledge of the Bay to help restore oyster bars, an important habitat for blue crabs.”

This week more than 100 watermen worked to recover and clean approximately 100 acres of oyster bars in Tangier Sound and the Patuxent and Severn Rivers.  Watermen used their boats and dredge equipment to remove silt and sediment from the tops of once historically healthy oyster bars in order to prepare them for a natural spat set and/or hatchery seed planting.

“This work really helped keep us in business and boost the local economy,” said Calvert County Waterman’s Association President Tommy Zinn, who led crews working in the Patuxent River this week. “This is a good program that’s helping the heart of crabbers.  The work that we are doing will hopefully help strengthen the industry down the road by improving our local oyster bars.”

Every year, the Chesapeake Bay loses 2,600 acres of hard bottom oyster habitat.  By the end of these projects watermen will have reclaimed shell on 1,000 acres of oyster reefs.

“This is a good project that helps put more oysters in the bay,” said JR Gross, owner of JVE Seafood and leader of crews working in the Severn River this week. “I’m proud to be a part of this project because it will really have a positive impact.  I’m very optimistic about this program and hope that we can expand it in the future.”

Earlier this year, the O’Malley-Brown Administration took historic action, in cooperation with Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine, to rebuild the Chesapeake Bay’s beleaguered blue crab population by reducing the harvest of ecologically valuable female blue crabs by 34 percent in 2008.  In September 2008, in response to a request from Governors O’Malley and Kaine, NOAA‘s National Marine Fisheries Service declared a federal fishery disaster for Chesapeake Bay watermen and women who have suffered economic hardships due to the extremely low and unstable blue crab population as well as the downturn in the national economy.

Earlier this week, Governor O’Malley thanked the leadership of Maryland’s Congressional Delegation for securing $10 million in federal fishery disaster funding for Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay blue crab industry.  These federal funds compliment the $3 million in capital funds set aside by the Governor and General Assembly to pay for the restoration work that started this week.

For more information about Maryland’s efforts to rebuild the Chesapeake Bay’s blue crab population visit www.dnr.maryland.gov/dnrnews/infocus/blue_crab.asp.