The US Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
has earmarked $800,000 for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to help restore the Chesapeake Bay’s oyster populations.
US Senators Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin confirmed that the DNR will use the federal money to produce and plant-out 1.5 billion hatchery seed over the course of the next three years – and then apply consistent monitoring protocols to evaluate the project’s performance.
The state of Maryland and its partners are undertaking a carefully-synchronized oyster-recovery program. This continues implementation of the bay-wide strategy to restore depleted oyster stocks as identified in an Executive Order from President Obama in 2009.
“The health of Maryland’s oyster population is critical to the Chesapeake Bay and our natural environment,” senator Cardin is quoted as saying.
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