CHESAPEAKE BAY - The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced on October 2 that a vast majority of Maryland's oyster sanctuaries have seen impressive population growth over the last five years, which the department and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation say is thanks to restoration efforts and five years of strong reproduction.
The announcement includes sanctuaries beyond the five large-scale tributaries that DNR restored, which was related to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. According to the DNR report, nearly 40% of oyster sanctuaries are experiencing positive growth or have already met certain benchmarks. In the meantime, another 16 sanctuaries are in the pipeline for further habitat investments.
Oyster harvesting also saw significant wins. The DNR report showed that areas open to the public oyster fishery saw record harvests over the last five years, with the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons being the highest in decades. Those seasons generated more than $21 million and $31 million in dockside value, which the Chesapeake Bay Foundation says shows restoration efforts are working, while protected oyster sanctuaries remain a key player in record-breaking oyster harvests outside of their boundaries.
The CBF says Maryland's oyster population has tripled over the last 30 years, but they note that it still remains a fraction of what it once was due to decades of overharvesting and disease.
The CBF further warns that there have been recent legislative efforts to allow harvest in certain sanctuaries. They cite multiple studies that say harvesting oysters, especially via dredging, damages the critical habitat that oyster reefs provide. Furthermore, the CBF says harvesting from protected areas would limit oyster reproduction, as well as undermine the development of disease resistance, one factor that has been instrumental in the recent oyster rebound.
