The Incredible Oyster Reef

Most of us who love the Chesapeake Bay know that oysters once existed in storied numbers in an earlier time, long before poor water quality, disease, and harvesting nearly put an end to them. This film explores oysters as a keystone species with a remarkable, and it seems, indispensable ability to heal the Bay’s troubled waters.

21 Mar 2017
00:10:08

More About Oysters

Eastern Oysters

The iconic Chesapeake Bay oyster plays an important role in the Bay ecosystem, as well as the local seafood industry.

News

Virginia Efforts Plant 3.5 Million Oysters This Season from the Northern Neck to the Eastern Shore

September 7, 2021

CBF's Virginia Oyster Team is completing its 2021 oyster restoration season today after raising about 3.5 million new oysters on innovative oyster barges docked at the Brock Environmental Center in Virginia Beach. The barges produced a CBF Virginia record high spat set this year.
Rod and Reef Slam Fishing Tournament Returns This October in Maryland

September 1, 2021

The Rod and Reef Slam Fishing Tournament returns for its fourth year in Maryland waters this fall from Oct. 9 to Oct. 17. The contest is designed to highlight the diversity of fish that surround oyster reefs. To do that, anglers will fish in areas where oyster reefs have been restored in Maryland.
CBF Praises House Passage of Legislation to Fund Priority Programs Next Year

July 29, 2021

CBF praised today’s passage by the U.S. House of Representatives of fiscal year 2022 spending bills that include promising budget numbers for EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program, a new Interior Department program to restore habitat in the Bay watershed, and Army Corps of Engineers oyster restoration work.
Partnership Adds 78 Oyster Reef Balls off Coast of Chesapeake Beach, Maryland

July 29, 2021

CBF staff and project partners added 78 reef balls to the Maryland Artificial Reef Initiative site located in the Herring Bay oyster sanctuary. The oyster reef balls were placed about two miles offshore in a sanctuary protected from oyster harvesting.
CBF Cheers House Committee Push to Increase Oyster Restoration Funds in Fiscal 2022

July 16, 2021

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) welcomed the House Appropriations Committee’s approval today, 33-24 of a fiscal year 2022 budget for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that would explicitly dedicate funds next year to on-going large-scale oyster restoration work in Maryland and Virginia.

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Cheddar the Oyster Gardening Cat

30 Sep 2020 00:00:54

What are all the cool cats doing these days? They're oyster gardening!
Oyster Farming in the Bay

24 Jun 2020 00:00:59

Oyster farming—the practice of cultivating oysters for food—is a growing part of Maryland and Virginia's economy.
Farming Oysters with an Adjustable Longline

19 Jun 2020 00:01:53

Alex Lambert of Lambert Shellfish demonstrates the adjustable longline technique used in oyster aquaculture.
The Value of Oyster Aquaculture in Maryland

01 Apr 2020 00:02:02

Oyster aquaculture is not only helping the economy throughout the Bay region, it's also helping save the Bay. Learn how Maryland's oyster aquaculture industry has grown and its impact on the Bay and the economy from CBF's Maryland Fisheries Scientist, Allison Colden.
Ask an Expert: Why are Oysters Important for the Chesapeake Bay?

25 Mar 2020 Episode 1 | 00:06:46

Why is an oyster hard to shuck? How do young oysters choose their homes? What happens when an oyster filters water? CBF’s Maryland Fisheries Scientist Allison Colden gets up close and personal with the Bay’s famous bivalve.