MARYLAND – Last year marked a historic year in oyster reproduction across Maryland waters.
Oyster reproduction was nearly six times above the long-term spatset average and the second highest ever recorded in the 41-year modern history of the annual fall oyster survey, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
HOW ONE NEW YORK BREWERY IS USING OYSTERS TO SAVE LONG ISLAND REEFS
Experts are saying that this is the biggest population growth they have seen in decades.
This type of surge creates an opportunity for the local economy to thrive in the seafood industry, while helping maintain the environmental health of the waterways.
Oyster harvesting has brought in an average of more than $18 million annually over the past five years.
According to observations during the fall oyster survey, scientists found an index of 250 juvenile oysters per bushel at various sites. A bushel is a unit of volume used to measure oyster catches.
KELP IS ON THE WAY: UNIVERSITY PARTNERS WITH NEW YORK OYSTER FARMERS TO REDUCE OCEAN ACIDIFICATION
Oyster mortality levels were the third lowest since 1985, along with the lowest presence and intensity of the Dermo disease in 36 years.
"In the past year, we learned that the state’s oyster populations have tripled in two decades, and we also wrapped up major projects at our oyster restoration sanctuaries," Maryland Department of Natural Resources Secretary Josh Kurtz said. "Now we’re finding that oysters are reproducing at levels we haven’t seen in nearly 30 years."
10-FOOT WHITE SHARK PINGS 'TIGHT TO THE BEACH' OFF NORTH CAROLINA COAST JUST AHEAD OF SPRING BREAK
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science discovered that the local oyster population had more than tripled since 2005 to more than 7.6 billion adult oysters as of 2023.
It typically takes about 1 to 3 years for an oyster spat to grow into an adult oyster. A mature oyster can fill gallons of water daily, which helps clean the water by consuming algae.
HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO STAY SAFE AT THE BEACH DURING SPRING BREAK
Maryland agencies have been conducting surveys of oyster reefs annually since 1939, and it is one of the longest-running programs of its kind in the world.
The post Maryland oysters thrive as population reaches second-highest in 41-year modern history appeared first on Fox Weather
