For the fourth year in a row, Chesapeake Bay oyster populations have been above the median, a welcome sign for recovery efforts in the region, according to a new Chesapeake Bay Foundation report.
Chesapeake oyster recovery is central to climate resilience and the Chesapeake Bay’s future. The Bay’s oyster recovery has been a focus of scientists and environmentalists for some time already, since over the last century numbers plummeted due to disease, overharvesting, pollution, and habitat loss. This has worsened water quality, harmed Bay fisheries, and damaged shoreline habitats like marshes and underwater grasses, leaving them susceptible to erosion and loss.
The efforts have been paying off, as oyster numbers in the Chesapeake Bay have bounced back strongly in 2023. Building on that momentum will increase resiliency to climate change in the region and benefit people and the environment, according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s new report released Thursday.
The report, “Hope on the Half Shell: Harnessing Oysters to Build Ecological and Community Resilience,” recommends “targeting oyster restoration in 20 additional Bay rivers, equitably growing the oyster aquaculture industry, and modernizing management of the wild oyster harvest,” according to the press announcement.
“Oysters are the bedrock of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem, long recognized for their ability to provide habitat and improve water quality. But their benefits to communities and the ecosystem extend far beyond that,” said CBF Maryland Executive Director Allison Colden in a statement. “Oysters are key to adapting to climate change, supporting local economies, and cleaning up waterways. You can’t overstate their importance to the Bay.”
The track record for oyster restoration projects in the Chesapeake Bay is impressive. Under the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, federal-state efforts are on track to fully restore 11 Chesapeake Bay tributaries for oyster habitat by 2025. The restored reefs are meeting or exceeding criteria for oyster abundance.
This success has been possible because of strong collaboration between federal and state governments and myriad local partner organizations. Sustained federal and state funding and support is crucial to maintaining momentum, especially given the pace of climate change. “Oysters can play an important role in protecting Chesapeake Bay shorelines and marshes from erosion, sea-level rise, and intense storms,” reads the press release.
“Restoring native oyster habitat and populations in ten tributaries is one of the few material outcomes set by the Chesapeake Watershed Agreement that will actually be achieved by 2025,” said Don Boesch, President Emeritus of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. “But this is just the beginning, not the end, for recovery of the Bay’s oyster population.”
There are six vital outcomes to achieve with these projects and efforts named in CBF’s report. They are:
- Improved water quality;
- Equitable economic opportunities for coastal communities;
- Increased resilience to sea-level rise and storm surge;
- Climate change mitigation;
- Transparency and accountability in fishery management; and,
- Modernized fishery management for sustainable harvests.
The CBF’s report recommends the following immediate next steps:
- Accelerate the pace and scale of large-scale oyster restoration projects, restoring an additional 20 Bay tributaries by 2035 that collectively encompass 4,000 acres or more of restored oyster reef.
- Grow Maryland’s oyster aquaculture industry to 50,000 acres under lease and 500,000 bushels harvested annually by 2035. That compares to 7,500 acres under lease and 94,000 bushels harvested for Maryland oyster aquaculture in 2022.
- In Virginia, initiate an oyster stock assessment, ensure aquaculture growth in all regions, and ensure that oyster aquaculture leases are effectively utilized.
- Increase the use of oysters in shoreline protection and restoration to address sea-level rise and erosion from more intense storms due to climate change.
- Modernize oyster fishery management to increase oyster numbers. That includes utilizing the most up-to-date scientific information and methods, implementing harvest quotas, and using electronic harvest reporting.
- Manage oyster shell to grow this critical resource for oyster restoration, as well as oyster replenishment work to support oyster fisheries.
Not only does oyster restoration benefit the Chesapeake Bay ecologically, but the communities around it economically. Oyster sales brought in more than $56.8 million in revenue in 2022 for Maryland and Virginia. Restoration reefs further bring in millions more because they provide key habitat for game fish and blue crabs, benefitting other fisheries.
For the best benefits, new oyster reefs can be built in conjunction with underwater grasses, living shorelines, and buffers of native trees and shrubs. In concert with that fact, aquatic and coastal wildlife benefit as the negative effects of climate change are mitigated.
“Increasing oyster numbers benefits all facets of life in and along the Chesapeake,” said CBF Virginia Executive Director Chris Moore in a statement. “Now let’s expand on the achievements to date. With oysters, we can adapt to climate change, support the Bay’s ecological, economic, and social resilience, and build vibrant communities where people and nature thrive together.
