The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reports that the state’s growing shellfish aquaculture operations yielded a record 94,286 bushels of oysters in 2023.
“Though the shellfish aquaculture harvest is small in comparison to the public fishery, it is growing steadily and the farmer’s product is available throughout the year,” said Brian R. Callam, Ph.D., director of DNR’s Aquaculture and Industry Enhancement Division, in a statement.
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, given that over the last century numbers plummeted due to disease, overharvesting, pollution, and habitat loss.
“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 Allison Colden, Maryland Executive Director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, in February 2024. “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 state allows shellfish farming businesses to hold submerged land leases and/or water column leases. Submerged land leases involve growing shellfish directly on the seafloor, while water column leases involve growing shellfish in cages or other containers in the water.
DNR says Maryland leases 7,478 acres of state waters to 466 commercial shellfish operations, with 6,964.32 acres of that for submerged land leases and 514.16 acres of water column leases.
2023’s harvest surpassed 2022’s yield by 29 bushels. 2023 surpassed 2021’s harvest by 4, 257. This is the fourth year in a row that oyster populations have exceeded the median. Low levels of rainfall in the Chesapeake Bay contributed to improved conditions for oysters in 2023.
According to the DNR website, economic impact of Maryland’s shellfish aquaculture yield is more than $13 million per year.
