The Baltimore Oyster Partnership kicked off its 13th season of oyster restoration with a ceremonial cage drop and a new goal: planting 5 million oysters in the Baltimore harbor by 2030.
The partnership is joint venture between the Waterfront Partnership’s Healthy Harbor Initiative and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF). Volunteers, program partners, community leaders, and Poe, the Baltimore Ravens mascot, joined the ceremonial dropping of the first oyster cage of the season, marking the start of a new year of hands-on restoration.
Be on the lookout around town for the partnership’s brand-new Electric Spat Mobile, a colorful electric truck introduced at the celebration that will transport oysters and supplies all over Baltimore City.
“It’s incredible to see how far this program has come,” said Adam Lindquist, vice president of Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore, and head of the Healthy Harbor Initiative. “From just a handful of volunteers 13 years ago to thousands of oysters being planted every season, Baltimoreans are showing that community-driven restoration works. With 5 million oysters on the horizon, we’re doubling down on our commitment to a cleaner, healthier Harbor.”
Oysters help keep water in the Chesapeake Bay clean because they are natural water filters. Each adult oyster is capable of cleaning up to 50 gallons of water per day. They also provide habitat for fish, crabs, and other species in the Bay, increasing its biodiversity and helping restore the Harbor’s ecosystem.
For five years in a row, Chesapeake Bay oyster reproduction was higher than the 39-year median, with 2023 touted as a “remarkable year” for baby oysters.
During the 2024-2025 season, Volunteers helped plant 417,059 spat, which represents a combined total from the Waterfront Partnership and CBF work. Since the program began in 2013, more than 2 million oysters have been raised and planted at the Fort Carroll oyster sanctuary reef in the Patapsco River.
“This milestone isn’t just about oysters. It’s about people,” said Carmera Thomas-Wilhite, CBF vice president for communities and partnerships and board member at Waterfront Partnership. “This program fills a need in our community — a need for cleaner water, hands-on environmental stewardship and opportunities to see the impact of people’s efforts, firsthand.”
The Baltimore Ravens and the Stephen and Renee Bisciotti Foundation became new partners to the program this year, joining downtown businesses, marinas, and nonprofits like the Downtown Sailing Center and Living Classrooms Foundation.
More than 1,000 volunteers are expected to participate this season, making this Baltimore’s largest community-driven oyster restoration effort. Volunteers assemble cages, add spat, record data, and more.
“The oysters we grow in Baltimore stay in Baltimore,” said Kellie Fiala, an oyster restoration specialist with CBF Maryland. “That’s because we want the thousands of volunteers who dedicate countless hours to benefit from the cleaner water and healthier ecosystems that oysters can provide.”
The event concluded with speakers and volunteers lowering 10 cages of baby oysters into the Inner Harbor, officially launching the 2025-2026 oyster season.
“Every oyster we plant is a step toward a healthier, more vibrant Harbor,” said Dan Taylor, president of Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore. “We’re thrilled to celebrate what’s been accomplished and to look ahead at the millions of oysters—and volunteers—still to come.”
