Maryland Oyster partners have announced the start of the 2010 oyster planting season and the Marylanders Grow Oyster Program. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) and the non-profit Oyster Recovery Partnership (ORP) launched the season together, planting the first of 10.3 million oyster spat on the State’s Bank protected sanctuary bar in the Upper Choptank River.
According to MD-DNR, Oyster reefs are critical to the Bay’s recovery. Healthy oyster reefs filter water, provide crucial substrate for underwater communities and support for fish and crabs. The Oyster Recovery Partnership’s field operation transports hundreds of millions of hatchery-raised, spat-on-shell oysters produced at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) Horn Point Laboratory and plants them on hundreds of acres of pre-selected and prepared oyster reefs around Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay.
“Without oysters, our Bay’s health and the marine life that relies on these vital reefs will not improve,” said Stephan Abel, Executive Director for the Oyster Recovery Partnership. “This gives us renewed enthusiasm each planting season knowing we are making a positive impact.”
The oyster restoration process involves several steps to produce oyster larvae which are nurtured until they are ready to attach themselves to shell. The resulting spat are allowed to set on aged, cleaned oyster shells which is provided by ORP.
The resulting spat on shell are then planted on pretreated restoration sites throughout the Bay by the Oyster Recovery Partnership, and monitored by the University of Maryland and DNR for growth and health. Restoration sites are selected by DNR through a consensus-based coalition that includes ORP, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), UMCES, the Maryland Waterman’s Association and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
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