Help Build Living Oyster Reefs
CBF's oyster gardening program provides citizens with the tools and information needed to help restore native oysters to the Bay. Until the 1980s, oysters supported the most valuable fishery in the Bay. Today, as a result of decades of pollution, over-harvesting, and disease, the Bay's native oyster population is merely about 2% of historic levels. Yet they remain an important part of the Bay's ecology.
Oysters form large reefs that provide habitat for a wide range of marine plants and animals. In addition, they feed by filtering microscopic plants from the water, and in the process improve water quality and clarity.
Rebuilding reefs and stocking them with oysters is a high priority for the Bay. It is a long-term process that will require the participation and commitment of federal and state agencies and citizens alike for many years. But it is important to restore native oysters to the Chesapeake.
Would you like to become a new Oyster Gardener?
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