Chesapeake Bay oyster population stays strong, but budget cuts sow concern
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Chesapeake Oyster Alliance served oysters grown by Maryland aquaculture businesses at their lobbying day outside the State House on Tuesday. (Photo courtesy the Chesapeake Bay Foundation)
Chesapeake Bay oysters had another good year in 2024, new Maryland data shows.
Oyster reproduction levels were above the median for the fifth straight year, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, which surveys for the bivalves each year in the bay and its tributaries.
The overall population was also strong, with the third-highest level over the past 32 years. In addition, the data showed a decline in the prevalence of oyster diseases, which proliferated in 2023 amid high salinity conditions.
'The 2024 Fall Survey confirms Maryland's oyster population is doing well, with the key indicators showing encouraging results,' said Christopher Judy, director of DNR's Shellfish Division. 'Certain low-salinity regions still need to improve, but overall the findings are promising for the near-term future of this vital species.'
But even with the promising data, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and other advocates are concerned for the future of oyster programs, given the uncertainty of state and federal budgets.
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'We are concerned that there would be an opportunity to disinvest in oyster restoration moving forward, which has resulted in some of the important gains we have seen over the past few years,' said Allison Colden, Maryland executive director of the Bay Foundation.
In particular, CBF cited potential cuts to the state's Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays 2010 Trust Fund and the Clean Water Commerce Program, which contribute funding to oyster plantings as well as aquaculture operations. Legislative analysts had included those programs among a list of potential cuts as the state struggles to close a projected $3 billion deficit for fiscal 2026.
The House Appropriations Committee on Thursday rejected cuts to the Clean Water Commerce Program, but approved the transfer of $10.5 million out of the bays trust fund. It could have been worse: Analysts had recommended cutting the trust fund without limitation through fiscal 2029.
The money transfered out this year would be moved to general DNR operating expenses.
'The transfer will enable DNR to continue to fully fund and staff all programs, grants, interagency transfers, and planned projects,' read a statement from department spokesman A.J. Metcalf.
Oysters are filter feeders, meaning that they can purify the bay's waters, removing harmful nutrients and sediment. As a result, the success of their population is seen as critical to the bay's overall health.
2023 was a banner year, particularly for baby oysters, known as 'spat.' High salinity in the bay, spurred by drought conditions, contributed to strong spat numbers, including 'once-in-a-generation' results in the Potomac River.
But the 2023 conditions were also favorable for the spread of diseases MSX and Dermo, which can cause die-offs in oyster reefs.
Luckily, the disease numbers declined in 2024, as a rainy start to the year inundated the watershed with fresh water and drove salinity downward.
The 'spatset' in the Potomac River returned to a 'modest' level in 2024, according to DNR. But gains were observed elsewhere, including in the 'rare' observation of spat north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
To Capt. Robert Newberry, chairman of the Delmarva Fisheries Association, which represents watermen, the new data is evidence that a healthy oyster population can coexist with a strong oyster harvest. He decried oyster sanctuaries, where harvesting is prohibited.
'You got problems with oysters? You call an oysterman,' he said.
Colden said the successes with oysters show the value of a multipronged restoration effort, including oyster plantings at sanctuaries and elsewhere in the bay, and plantings on oyster farms, which yielded $13.3 million in economic output in 2023, with more than 94,000 bushels harvested, compared to about 430,000 bushels in the wild fishery during the 2023-2024 season.
But she fears that cuts not just at the state level, but at the federal level, could call into question future efforts.
Colden said she wonders about state government employees focusing on oyster restoration, whose positions are funded by federal money, and about the fate of federal grant programs that sponsor new oyster reefs, and monitor current reefs.
'We're in a really good place with the areas that have been restored, but if we just walk away forever? … We won't know how those reefs are doing,' she said.
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