NOAA and our partners are working to restore oyster reef habitat in the Chesapeake Bay because oysters are an important part of the ecosystem. They grow in reefs that provide habitat for a number of Bay species. Oysters are filter feeders, so they clean the water as they eat. Oysters support not only the ecosystem, but also the economy. Areas with healthy oyster reefs are great for commercial and recreational fishing.

NOAA

The Baltimore Oyster Partnership, a collaboration between the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), is working to grow 5 million oysters in the Baltimore Harbor by 2030.The Partnership aims to restore the ecosystem of the Harbor and the greater Chesapeake Bay by restoring depleted oyster populations. The project engages volunteers’ assistance in the installation and maintenance of 16 oyster gardens across the Baltimore Harbor. The gardens house over 1,000 cages of newly grown oyster larvae that are taken to a no-harvest sanctuary reef in the Patapsaco River.

Amy Hauer

A new community-built oyster reef is coming to Three Mile Harbor this June, thanks to a collaboration between the East Hampton Town Shellfish Hatchery, South Fork Sea Farmers, local students, and restaurants. Installed just off Swans Marina, the reef is the fourth in a growing network of non-harvestable reefs designed to restore water quality and marine life across the East End.

The East Hampton Town Trustees heard and approved a request by South Fork Sea Farmers, a nonprofit educational arm of the town’s shellfish hatchery and its community oyster garden program, to implement a program aiming to establish eelgrass meadows in Accabonac Harbor.

CHRISTOPHER WALSH