Maryland and Virginia Oyster Restoration Interagency Teams Publications

This report provides an analysis of Maryland's 2024 oyster restoration success.

View document [PDF, 2.6 MB] 2024 Maryland Oyster Reef Monitoring Report

This report summarizes progress made in 2024 toward the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement’s "Ten Tributaries by 2025" Oyster Outcome.

View document [PDF, 2.9 MB] 2024 Chesapeake Bay Oyster Restoration Update

This report provides an analysis of Maryland's 2022 and 2023 oyster restoration success.

View document [PDF, 6.1 MB] 2022 and 2023 Maryland Oyster Monitoring Report

This report summarizes progress made in 2023 toward the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement’s "Ten Tributaries by 2025" Oyster Outcome.

View document [PDF, 3.4 MB] 2023 Chesapeake Bay Oyster Restoration Update

This report summarizes progress made in 2022 toward the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement’s "Ten Tributaries by 2025" Oyster Outcome.

View document [PDF, 2.3 MB] 2022 Chesapeake Bay Oyster Restoration Update

This report summarizes progress made in 2021 toward the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement’s "Ten Tributaries by 2025" Oyster Outcome.

View document [PDF, 3.6 MB] 2021 Chesapeake Bay Oyster Restoration Update

This report provides an analysis of Maryland's 2021 oyster restoration success.

View document [PDF, 5.1 MB] 2021 Maryland Oyster Monitoring Report

Restoration partners constructed 12 acres of oyster reef and planted more than 160 million spat-on-shell in Maryland in 2020. This document includes details on large-scale oyster restoration in Maryland tributaries.

View document [PDF, 2.7 MB] 2020 Maryland Oyster Restoration Update

This report describes the results of monitoring done from October 2020 through January 2021 on three- and six-year-old restored oyster reefs in Harris Creek, the Little Choptank River, and the Tred Avon River.

View document [PDF, 2.9 MB] 2020 Maryland Oyster Monitoring Report

Restoration partners constructed 74 acres of oyster reefs in Virginia in 2020, including completing a bonus 11th tributary. This document includes details on large-scale oyster restoration in Virginia tributaries.

View document [PDF, 2.9 MB] 2020 Virginia Oyster Restoration Update

Restoration partners constructed 11 acres of oyster reefs in Maryland in 2019. This document includes details on large-scale oyster restoration in five Maryland tributaries.

View document [PDF, 1.7 MB] 2019 Maryland Oyster Restoration Update

Restoration partners constructed 94 acres of oyster reefs in Virginia in 2019. This document includes details on large-scale oyster restoration in five Virginia tributaries.

View document [PDF, 1.4 MB] 2019 Virginia Oyster Restoration Update

This report describes the results of monitoring done in 2019 and early 2020 on oyster reefs that were restored in 2013 and 2016. Reefs discussed in this report are located in Harris Creek, the Little Choptank River, and the Tred Avon River, Maryland.

View document [PDF, 10.9 MB] 2019 Maryland Oyster Monitoring Report

Summary data accompanying the 2019 Oyster Monitoring Report.

View document [XLSX, 37.1 KB] Appendix A: Table of Summary Data for each Reef

This document details plans for oyster reef restoration--including spatial analysis, map, discussion of substrate/seed needs, and plans for monitoring progress--in Virginia's Great Wicomico River.

View document [PDF, 7.5 MB] Great Wicomico (Virginia) Oyster Restoration Blueprint

Final report for a GIT-funded study examining the shell budget for oyster restoration in Chesapeake Bay.

View document [PDF, 3.3 MB] A Shell Budget for the Chesapeake Bay Oyster Resource

Final report for a GIT-funded study evaluating hydraulic patent tong efficiency to estimate oyster density on restored oyster reefs conducted by the Oyster Recovery Partnership and the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory.

View document [PDF, 566.0 KB] 2020 Oyster Gear Efficiency Study Final Report

This document details plans for oyster reef restoration--including spatial analysis, map, discussion of substrate/seed needs, and plans for monitoring progress--in Virginia's lower York River.

View document [PDF, 4.6 MB] Lower York River (Virginia) Oyster Restoration Blueprint

This document details plans for oyster reef restoration--including spatial analysis, map, discussion of substrate/seed needs, and plans for monitoring progress--in Virginia's Piankatank River.

View document [PDF, 7.7 MB] Piankatank River (Virginia) Oyster Restoration Blueprint

This document details plans for oyster reef restoration--including spatial analysis, map, discussion of substrate/seed needs, and plans for monitoring progress--in Virginia's Lynnhaven River.

View document [PDF, 1.8 MB] Lynnhaven River (Virginia) Oyster Restoration Blueprint

This document details plans for oyster reef restoration--including spatial analysis, map, discussion of substrate/seed needs, and plans for monitoring progress--in Virginia's Lafayette River.

View document [PDF, 580.0 KB] Lafayette River (Virginia) Oyster Restoration Blueprint

This document details plans for oyster reef restoration--including spatial analysis, map, discussion of substrate/seed needs, and plans for monitoring progress--in Maryland's St. Marys River.

View document [PDF, 3.7 MB] St. Mary's (Maryland) Oyster Restoration Blueprint

This document details plans for oyster reef restoration--including spatial analysis, map, discussion of substrate/seed needs, and plans for monitoring progress--in Maryland's Manokin River.

View document [PDF, 5.0 MB] Manokin (Maryland) Oyster Restoration Blueprint

This document details plans for oyster reef restoration--including spatial analysis, map, discussion of substrate/seed needs, and plans for monitoring progress--in Maryland's Tred Avon River.

View document [PDF, 2.6 MB] Tred Avon River (Maryland) Oyster Restoration Blueprint

This document details plans for oyster reef restoration--including spatial analysis, map, discussion of substrate/seed needs, and plans for monitoring progress--in Maryland's Little Choptank River.

View document [PDF, 1.7 MB] Little Choptank (Maryland) Oyster Restoration Blueprint

This document details plans for oyster reef restoration--including spatial analysis, map, discussion of substrate/seed needs, and plans for monitoring progress--in Maryland's Harris Creek.

View document [PDF, 979.0 KB] Harris Creek (Maryland) Oyster Restoration Blueprint

This report describes results of monitoring done in 2018 on oyster reefs that were restored in 2012 and 2015. Reefs discussed in this report are located in Harris Creek, the Little Choptank River, and the Tred Avon River, Maryland.

View document [PDF, 31.4 MB] 2018 Oyster Reef Monitoring Report (text/discussion and Appendices A - B)

This report describes results of monitoring done in 2018 on oyster reefs that were restored in 2012 and 2015. Reefs discussed in this report are located in Harris Creek, the Little Choptank River, and the Tred Avon River, Maryland.

View document [PDF, 34.6 MB] 2018 Oyster Reef Monitoring Report (Appendices B, C, and D)

This report describes results of monitoring done in 2017 on oyster reefs that were restored in 2014 in the Little Choptank River and Harris Creek.

View document [PDF, 16.2 MB] 2017 Oyster Reef Monitoring Report

This report describes results of monitoring done in 2016 on oyster reefs that were restored in 2013 in Harris Creek.

View document [PDF, 21.1 MB] 2016 Oyster Reef Monitoring Report

This report describes results of monitoring done in 2015 on oyster reefs that were restored in 2012 in Harris Creek.

View document [PDF, 6.3 MB] 2015 Oyster Reef Monitoring Report

This document represents efforts to develop clear and consistent objectives, definitions, sampling protocols and assessment techniques for evaluating progress toward restoring oyster populations in 20 Chesapeake Bay tributaries by 2025.

View document [PDF, 545.6 KB] Restoration Goals, Quantitative Metrics and Assessment Protocols for Evaluating Success on Restored Oyster Reef Sanctuaries