As you may know, the Phillips Wharf Environmental Center runs a community-based oyster restoration program known as Tilghman Islanders Grow Oysters. Through this program, volunteers host oyster cages for a period of approximately 9 months. This involves hanging the cages off docks and shaking them occasionally. After 9 months, the oysters are collected and planted in the Harris Creek Oyster Sanctuary. This is just one program under the statewide Marylanders Grow Oysters program, which is managed by the Oyster Recovery Partnership. Through this state program, baby oysters and cages are provided to groups like Phillips Wharf, generally at no cost. The goal is to increase the oyster population in the Chesapeake Bay and increase awareness and support for oyster restoration throughout our communities.
The Oyster Recovery Partnership also manages an oyster shell recycling program, oversees large scale oyster reef restoration and creation, and assists commercial watermen with public reef replenishment.
Because the Oyster Recovery Partnership is a leader in oyster restoration, we are excited to announce that we are partnering with them on a small research project. This project will bring together several community partners, all in support of future oyster restoration. These partners include the Oyster Recovery Partnership, the Horn Point Oyster Hatchery, the Phillips Wharf Environmental Center, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, and St. Michaels Middle High School (SMMHS).
First, it’s important to understand that oysters release free-swimming larvae into the water, and they stay in this form for about two weeks until they are ready to attach to a hard surface. Oyster larvae prefer attaching to their own shells and this is how oyster reefs are formed in the wild.
Restoration programs typically use recycled oyster shells from restaurants and shucking houses as substrate for new oysters. These shells are placed in bags or cages in a tank of water, and the oyster larvae are added to the tank so that they can settle on the shells. Once oyster larvae have settled, they are called spat, and this process creates a product called spat-on-shell (SOS).
Oyster shells are increasingly becoming scarce, making it difficult to meet restoration needs. Scientists are seeking alternative substrates that oysters will grow on for restoration. Oysters will grow on just about any hard surface; however, materials used for restoration need to support oyster growth and survival and be safe for the environment. Some alternative materials already in use include granite, recycled concrete (from construction, roads, bridges, etc.), clam shell, and river rock. In this study, we will be investigating oyster growth and survival on a prototype material that may be used in future restoration projects in the Chesapeake Bay.
This study aims to assess the suitability of a prototype material compared with recycled oyster shell for oyster restoration. We will do this by monitoring live oyster density, growth, and survival over a 7 month period and comparing these data between the standard oyster shell and the prototype material. Students at SMMHS will be assisting with data collection under the guidance of Phillips Wharf staff.