DORCHESTER CO. -- Federal budget cuts could significantly reduce oyster production at the Horn Point Oyster Hatchery in Dorchester County, according to the facility’s director.
The hatchery, located at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s Horn Point Laboratory, is preparing to begin its 2026 production season next week. However, nearly half of its federal funding is at risk.
The hatchery typically produces more than 1 billion oysters a year for restoration and fisheries throughout the Chesapeake Bay. Director Stephanie Alexander said that production would likely decline under the proposed budget cuts.
About 45% of the hatchery's federal funding is at risk. That money comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's oyster recovery partnership. The proposed cuts come as the Trump administration works to reduce federal spending and address the national budget deficit.
Alexander said most of the money they receive from NOAA is devoted to salaries. Eight people currently work at the hatchery full-time, but that number could be reduced by up to half if the funding is cut.
"We are a skeleton staff as it is now. If I don't have that staff to produce oysters, our production is going to go down," Alexander said. "That affects everything. The number of oysters we can produce for restoration, but also the number of oysters we can produce for either the public fishery or the private fishery as well. Our operating budget of 740 thousand dollars a year generates around 13 million in local economic development."
Alexander said the impact would extend beyond the local economy and that hundreds in the region could ultimately be affected. Fewer oysters would also affect the health of the Chesapeake Bay, where oysters play a key role in filtering water and improving overall water quality.
"They help filter the water, they help clear it up. They are the little vacuum cleaners of the bay," Alexander said. "We've been making a lot of great progress over the last 20 years, and I would hate for that to go to the side."
The hatchery is one of the largest oyster hatcheries on the East Coast, according to Alexander, and has been a major contributor to the bay’s oyster restoration efforts.
Alexander said the hatchery is exploring ways to replace the potential loss of federal funding, including applying for grants, seeking donations, and pursuing additional state support.
WBOC reached out to U.S. Representative Andy Harris regarding the budget cuts.
"We are inquiring with NOAA about the reasoning behind reducing their funding for the last year of their four-year grant," Harris said in a statement Monday. "Hopefully, the state can use part of the 1.6 billion dollar tax increase to help us make up part of that funding."
Those looking for more information about the hatchery are encouraged to visit the hatchery's website.