CONSERVE & RESTORE: Oyster Restoration

The Chesapeake Bay’s oyster, Crassostrea virginica, is a vital part of the Bay's ecosystem and culture, but the population has been reduced to about two percent of its Colonial-era level. To help reverse this decline, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) is committed to in-the-Bay restoration efforts that will bring back the oyster.

Oyster Restoration Center
At our Oyster Restoration Center (ORC), located at the Discovery Village in southern Anne Arundel County, we grow oysters that will be placed on oyster reefs in the Bay. Check out What's New at the ORC for upcoming volunteer activities.

Oyster Gardening
CBF’s oyster gardening program gives people the opportunity to help bring back this vital species by growing oysters alongside their docks. Once grown, the adult oysters are returned to CBF for planting on sanctuary (non-harvest) reefs.

Save Oyster Shell
Oyster shells are becoming increasingly scarce. Through the Save Oyster Shell program, shells that would typically be thrown away are saved and used in a variety of oyster restoration projects.

Already a MD oyster gardener?
Learn more about Oyster Returning Dates, locations and times.

The Patricia Campbell

This state-of-the-art oyster restoration vessel is the flagship of CBF’s fleet. The Patricia Campbell is capable of placing more than 40 tons of oyster shell on barren bay-bottom to serve as seed ground for future reefs. You can see the Patricia Campbell at the ORC.

For information about CBF's oyster programs, send an e-mail to MDOysterGardening@cbf.org.

Partnerships
University of Maryland, Paynter Labs
Oyster Recovery Partnership
Discovery Village
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center