LEONARDTOWN, Md. – Saturday, September 21st at 10 AM (rain date: September 22 at 10 AM) join your local watershed associations at Abell’s Wharf to help plant a million baby oysters in the Breton Bay Oyster Sanctuary. Bring the kids, bring a life jacket, and join the fun!
Oysters are incredibly important to the Chesapeake Bay. They are a keystone species, meaning they create habitat and are an irreplaceable component of the food chain. Oysters are the “glue” needed to hold the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem together and keep it healthy.
One hundred years ago, 48% of the Breton Bay Oyster Sanctuary’s bottom was oyster reefs. Even 50 or so years ago, many locals remember the plentiful seagrasses, blue crabs, and fish of their youth. Today, Breton Bay has less than one percent of its previous oyster population.
Since 2017, St Mary’s River Watershed Association and Friends of St. Clement’s Bay have been
working to rebuild a healthy oyster population in Breton Bay. With our partners at Bell Marine Services, Shore Thing Shellfish, LLC, and the Southern Maryland Recreational Fishing Organization, we’ve planted over 3 million oysters to date and will continue to add to the restoration reef site until natural oyster reproduction is well established, and the reef is self-sustaining.
In September 2023, at Lover’s Point in Breton Bay, natural spatfall was observed for the first time since the restoration project began! Spatfall is the process of oyster larvae settling and attaching to a hard surface like oyster shell. SMRWA Executive Director, Emma Green stated “oyster reproduction in Breton Bay means that our restoration efforts are working and should continue.”
Show your support for a cleaner, more vibrant, and healthy Breton Bay by joining us on
September 21st at Abell’s Wharf. To register, please visit https://bit.ly/oyster-planting-2024 or contact
Emma Green, St. Mary’s River Watershed Association, at emmaSMRWA@gmail.com
