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Oyster populations in the Chesapeake Bay are in decline
Why does this matter?
Oysters are ecosystem engineers. They are natural water filters and provide habitats for fish and other benthic organisms in the Bay. Increasing the populations of oysters improves water quality in the Bay and supports a dynamic and sucessful ecosystem.
What we're doing:
Oyster survival depends highly on available substrate for settlement of oyster spat. Fewer oyster shells means that oysters cannot attach to oyster shells as part of their growth cycle. Team oysters is looking at alternative ways to provide artificial substrate for oysters settlement and growth through electrolysis mineral accretion.
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A century of over harvesting, eutrophication, pollution, and over sedimentation all have lead to the destruction of oyster habitat within the Chesapeake Bay. This has resulted in a decline in the oyster population to 1% of its historic size (Maryland Sea Grant, 2013).
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