The oyster begins life as a male changing to a female at about 3 years of age. Many people like to eat oysters. For that reason, they are a very important seafood resource for the Chesapeake Bay. Another reason that oysters are important is that they feed on the algae in the Bay. As they eat they act like a filter on a fish tank.
Oysters filter out all the algae and tiny particles that cloud the water.
Oyster beds or reefs form a suitable habitat for other living creatures. Oysters at one time were very plentiful. However, over the years the parasites, MSX and Dermo have killed many of them.