Cleaning the Chesapeake Bay: Oyster Restoration

Located on Maryland's Western Shore, the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Chesapeake Bay Detachment, a 168-acre facility used for research and field testing of radar, remote sensing and optical and laser technologies, is now host to the latest addition to the state's oyster restoration and revitalization effort and the Navy's commitment toward improving overall water quality and enhancing and improving existing wildlife habitats in the Bay.

Working with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, oyster shell substrate and harvested oyster larvae, 'spat,' have been suspended in cages in the waters along the facility's 400-foot pier. The young oysters will remain suspended in cages for their first year of life. Once matured, the adult oysters are planted on local sanctuaries, enriching the Bay ecosystem and contributing to the Bay oyster population.

According to Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the Bay's oyster population has been devastated by disease, overharvesting and water quality problems. Initiatives similar to the one at NRL allow oysters to reproduce and hopefully, over time, develop natural resistance to diseases that have imperiled native oysters and other mollusks.

NRL Partners with Maryland Chesapeake Bay Oyster Restoration Efforts: http://go.usa.gov/5tu

For more NRL videos, visit http://www.nrl.navy.mil/media/videos/.

Video Credit: Technical Information Services Branch, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• Chesapeake Bay
• oyster
• restoration
• water
• Navy
• NRL
• Naval Research Laboratory
• Maryland