Oysters Making a Comeback as Cooperative Clean Up of Chesapeake Bay Swells

Photo courtesy of wallpaperme.com.

The Chesapeake Bay is the United States’ largest estuary- a place where freshwater and saltwater mix. A home to more than 3,600 species of plants and animals, as well as a provider of recreation and livelihoods to local residents, the Bay has becoming increasingly polluted over recent decades.

The water has been polluted primarily by nitrogen and phosphorus from agricultural land, cities and towns, wastewater plants, and airborne contaminants. As water pollution in the Bay has increased, oyster numbers have dropped to all-time lows in recent years, and habitats such as underwater grass beds and wetlands have degraded as well.

In an effort to give resurgence to the Bay, federal and state agencies, joined by community groups have started to make some noticeable efforts to restore the ecosystem.

As this year nears to a close, almost 750 million hatchery-reared oysters have been returned to the Bay, which is a new record for Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay oyster restoration effort, according to a recent statement by Governor Martin O’Malley.

Photo courtesy of the EPA.

Oyster reefs are critical to the Bay’s recovery. A healthy oyster reef not only filters the Bay’s dirty waters, but also provides crucial substrates (molecules that enzymes act on) for the underwater community.

“Whether it’s 1,000 oysters or hundreds of millions of oysters planted back into our Bay, the oyster’s ability to help revitalize the Bay’s health and preserve our cultural heritage cannot be overemphasized,” said Stephan Abel, Executive Director for the Oyster Recovery Partnership.

“Through the steady leadership provided by Governor O’Malley, Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski, and Department of Natural Resources Secretary John Griffin, as well as the growing environmental stewardship of Marylanders, we are witnessing historically significant growth in our capacity to improve Chesapeake Bay waters,” added Mr. Abel.

The oyster restoration efforts come at a time when federal agencies are also gearing up efforts to clean up the Bay. A week ago, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration deployed the seventh in a series of ‘smart buoys’ to monitor weather conditions and water quality in the Bay.

The buoy, located at the mouth of Severn River near Annapolis, Md., will be used by commercial and recreational boaters to navigate safely and provide data for educators and scientists to monitor the Bay’s changing conditions.

“This system of high-technology buoys protects lives and property by providing real-time weather, tide, and current information that is also used to improve forecasts and warnings for boaters and neighbors in the Chesapeake Bay,” said Sen. Barbara Mikulski, Chairwoman of the Commerce, Justice and Science Committee that funds NOAA.

The new buoy came just days after federal officials released for public comment a draft of their strategy to tackle the Bay cleanup.

Photo courtesy of lateralizes.com.

The strategy includes:

• NOAA will help facilitate inter-jurisdictional Bay-wide strategies to ensure sustainable crab populations and harvest management aimed at achieving a sustainable population of 200 million adult blue crabs.
• The Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA will initiate a comprehensive campaign to restore aquatic and upland habitats, as well as manage fish and wildlife.
• The Department of Agriculture will launch a voluntary partnership effort to accelerate the adoption of conservation practices on the region’s farms and forests.
• The Department of Transportation will identify opportunities for retrofits to existing transportation facilities to reduce polluted runoff.

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