In a small creek off the York River, the largest oyster aquaculture project in the Bay is under way. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, which proposed the tenfold oyster increase goal included in the Bay Program's Chesapeake 2000 Agreement, is planning to rear 1 million disease-tolerant oysters annually to stock restored oyster reefs. At the CBF's York River site, the oysters are placed on plastic trays which are enclosed by screens to protect them from predators. Photo courtesy of Chesapeake Bay Foundation. I think we stand to see some phenomenal increases.
Oysters are one of the Bay's most important resources and historically supported a major fishery.
Their reefs, piled many feet high, provide habitat for fish and other species while the oysters filter sediment and algae from the passing water. But their numbers have been devastated by disease, water pollution and overharvesting. Many efforts are under way to build new oyster reefs, but coming up with enough oysters to stock the reefs can be a problem. But the number of oysters available from those programs is limited to a few hundred thousand per year. The CBF's intent is to dramatically ratchet that number up.