2024 Maryland Oyster Reef Monitoring Report

Description

The 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement includes a goal to restore oyster populations in 10 Chesapeake Bay tributaries by 2025 (hereafter, the "10 Tributaries Initiative"). In Maryland, partners including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District; Oyster Recovery Partnership; and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources are working to achieve this goal through the Maryland Interagency Oyster Restoration Workgroup (hereafter, "the Workgroup"). The Workgroup is convened under the Sustainable Fisheries Goal Implementation Team of the Chesapeake Bay Program and is chaired by Stephanie Reynolds Westby (NOAA).

A set of oyster restoration success criteria, commonly known as the Chesapeake Bay Oyster Metrics, was developed prior to implementing restoration work in the 10 Tributaries. These guidelines recommend monitoring restored reefs three years and again six years after restoration. Success is evaluated at the six-year mark, with the three-year monitoring serving as an interim assessment. A subset of reefs in Little Choptank, St. Mary’s, and Tred Avon rivers were due for either three-year or six-year monitoring in fall 2024. The results are described in this report.

This report describes reef health relative to four reef-level success criteria set forth in the Oyster Metrics document: oyster density, oyster biomass, multiple year classes, and shell budget. Data and analyses in this report can be used to inform what adaptive management measures, if any, should be taken on each of the monitored reefs. Results may also guide restoration in other tributaries.