The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will create three new oyster-restoration sanctuaries, continuing the work of the department to restore the historic oyster beds of Chesapeake Bay.
The sites, in Herring Bay, the Nanticoke River, and Hoopers Straight, will build on the success of previous efforts to rebuild the Chesapeake’s oyster population, which once sustained one of the most valuable fisheries in the bay but has since reached historic lows due to decades of overfishing, pollution, and disease.
“These three large-scale restoration sanctuaries represent a new chapter for oyster restoration in Maryland,” Maryland DNR Secretary Josh Kurtz said in a statement. “We’ve had tremendous success with our existing restoration sanctuaries, and we’re excited to build on that achievement and keep up the momentum for oyster recovery in the Chesapeake Bay.”
Oyster sanctuary restoration work started in the bay with the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, which began restoration of Maryland’s “big five” sanctuary sites: Harris Creek, Little Choptank River, Tred Avon River, St. Mary’s River, and Manokin River. These projects were successful, with 98 percent of the reef sites meeting the minimum criteria for oyster density – which is 15 oysters per square meter over 30 percent of the reef area – and 83 percent of the reefs had more than 50 oysters per square meter in the same area. Harris Creek, the first sanctuary project, is now considered fully restored.
With initial work at four of the five sites now complete, the Maryland DNR and Chesapeake Bay Program are ready to set new goals beyond 2025.
One of the goals of the new restoration work is to connect oyster restoration to watershed restoration.
“Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) remain at a fraction of their historic population levels in the bay after declines due to historic overharvesting, disease-related mortality, habitat degradation, and reduced water quality,” Maryland DNR said in a statement. “Oysters act as a keystone species in the ecosystem of the bay, provide a critical role by naturally filtering water, and continue to be an economic driver for the region.”
Sanctuaries permanently close oyster beds to harvesting except in specific aquaculture lease sites, allowing oysters to grow undisturbed. The goal of this preservation is to build a strong breeding population of oysters that will build the reefs which provide crucial habitats for other bay species. As part of this process, the DNR builds hard substrates that can support reefs and plant spat, or juvenile larvae.
“We met the goals of the 2014 Watershed Agreement for oyster restoration, and we anticipate additional ambitious goals for recovery after 2025,” Maryland DNR Assistant Secretary of Aquatic Resources Jackie Specht said. “With these three restoration projects, we’re getting started early on additional restoration and we’re maintaining our continuous effort to establish more productive oyster habitat in the Chesapeake Bay.”
The three new sites – Hoopers Straight, Herring Bay, and Nanticoke River – were chosen because of their potential to sustain oyster populations, their economic efficiency, and their differing salinity. Salinity can affect disease risk in oyster populations, and the DNR hopes that the sites’ salinity differences will balance one another.
“Together, these three restoration sanctuaries will strengthen the diversity of Maryland’s sanctuary program,” DNR Fishing and Boating Services Director Lynn Fegley said. “With new projects ... we’re helping to spread out disease risk and increase the oyster broodstock across all areas of the Chesapeake Bay.”
Work at the Hoopers Straight and Herring Bay sites will likely not begin until 2026, though work at the Nanticoke River sanctuary is expected to begin sooner.