Q. Can you give me a quick overview of how the oyster gardening program works?
A. Oysters are the Chesapeake Bay's best natural filters. They also provide essential habitat for fish and other Bay creatures. Unfortunately, though, today's oyster population is a fraction of its original level. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation's oyster gardening program gives people the opportunity to help bring back this vital species by growing oysters alongside their docks. Once grown, the adult oysters are returned to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation for planting on sanctuary reefs.
New gardeners are required to attend a training session, from which you will leave with everything you need to grow oysters, including cages and about 1,000 to 2,000 spat (baby oysters). You then tend these oysters for about nine months. Keeping oysters in cages allows them maximum exposure to oxygen and plankton, which means they will grow faster than they would in their natural habitat on the Bay bottom. These larger, nine-month-old oysters have a greater chance of surviving once they are planted on sanctuary reefs than they would if we simply took them right from the hatchery and planted them.
After nine months of growing your oysters, you return them to CBF for planting on sanctuary oyster reefs. Ideally, you will return them to CBF in late spring/early summer. In late summer/early fall you can pick up your new spat and continue growing oysters for the next year.
Q. How can I get started in oyster gardening?
A. Come to one of our oyster gardening workshops scheduled each year in Maryland. Our new gardener workshops typically take place in August and September of each year. You will leave the two-hour introductory workshop with everything you need to get your garden started. Join our email list to be the first to know when our next sessions open.
Q. What type of dock and water conditions do I need to grow oysters?
A. You must have access to water with a salinity of at least five parts-per-thousand year round for your oysters to thrive. Most places in the Bay meet this requirement, but there are 'boundaries' beyond which you can not grow them.
The 'boundaries' are as follows.
In Maryland, you cannot grow oysters
- north of the Patapsco River;
- above Round Bay on the Severn River (that is, northwest of, or upstream of, Round Bay);
- above Brown's Creek on the Chester River;
- above the Route 301 Bridge on the Potomac River.
Your site must also have a minimum water depth of one foot, even during extreme conditions. This is because oysters will die if they become smothered in silt or freeze out of the water (they will not die if they freeze in the water). You can tie your cages to a dock, pier, bulkhead or pilings. Oysters can be grown at a marina, community dock, vacation home, friend's house, etc., on the Chesapeake as long as you make sure you tend them regularly. This includes keeping an eye on them during the winter months.
Q. How much time can I expect to spend tending my oysters, and what other commitments are involved?
A. Oyster cages need to be kept clean. When the weather is warm (May through September), you can expect to clean your oysters at least once a month. Whenever oysters are feeding (about April through November), you should shake or tumble them every few days to dislodge any sediment and pseudofeces. This takes only a few minutes. During the winter months, you should keep an eye on your cage to make sure ice flows and severe weather do not damage it. And... you must bring back your oysters! CBF will set dates and locations where you can bring in your oysters and pick up new oyster spat for the next year. We want to make sure your adult oysters are among those living, filtering, and reproducing on sanctuary oyster reefs, so please bring them back to us.
Q. Where will my oysters end up once I return them to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation?
A. CBF will plant your oysters on sanctuary reefs in the Chesapeake Bay. We work to make sure your oysters are placed onto non-harvest reefs on or near the river in which they are grown.
Q. Can I plant my ooysters on my shoreline or under my dock?
A. Unfortunately, no. We need all oysters grown through the program returned to us so that we can account for them in our reporting. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation holds a special permit that allows us to plant oysters on designated sanctuary reefs where they will live out the rest of their lives.
Q. Can I eat the oysters I grow?
A. No. These oysters are for restoration purposes only. If you would like to grow oysters for consumption in Maryland, check the Maryland Oyster Aquaculture History and Policy page on the Sea Grant website. Additionally, the Maryland Department of the Environment recommends against eating oysters grown from private piers for health reasons. CBF suggests all oyster gardeners follow this recommendation.
