Oyster Restoration in Chesapeake Bay Expected to Meet 2025 Goal

The Chesapeake Bay Program announced today that the goal to restore healthy oyster reefs in 10 Chesapeake Bay tributaries is on track to meet a 2025 deadline. Eight out of the ten original tributaries selected for large-scale restoration are now considered complete.  

Oysters are considered one of the heroes of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and now efforts to restore healthy reefs of this bivalve have a big reason to sing success.   

This announcement comes after the April celebration of the completion of the restoration activities in the lower York River in Virginia. 

The restoration work is part of a commitment laid out in the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, an accord between the Chesapeake Bay program and its partners to guide the restoration of the nation’s largest estuary and its watershed. 

The Chesapeake Bay Program, managed by the EPA, is a regional partnership of states in the Bay watershed and  federal agencies, local governments, academic institutions, and nonprofit organizations. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) is the largest independent conservation organization dedicated solely to saving the Bay and undertakes oyster restoration efforts in both Maryland and Virginia, including working with Chesapeake Bay Program partners on large-scale oyster restoration efforts. 

Chesapeake Bay Foundation Maryland Executive Director Allison Colden issued the following statement:  

“The achievement of this large-scale oyster restoration work over the past decade has become the global model for restoring oyster populations and reef habitat. The success of this work reflects the importance of strong partnerships and innovation in meeting a long-term goal in the larger effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay.  

“It’s critically important to build on the success of these oyster restoration projects and maintain momentum by expanding these initiatives to more tributaries in Maryland and Virginia. Restored oyster reefs support a healthy Chesapeake Bay, numerous economic opportunities, and strengthen our resilience to climate change for communities across the Bay watershed.”