Marylanders
.YV^ 6`Z[LYZ
*P[PaLUZ ^VYRPUN [V YLZ[VYL [OL *OLZHWLHRL )H`
4HY[PU 6»4HSSL` .V]LYUVY
Dear Marylander: Thank you for agreeing to be part of our Marylanders Grow Oysters project, an exciting way to create and develop a living, diverse, oyster reef community. Through your action and JVTTP[TLU[ `V\ HYL WYV]PKPUN HU PTWVY[HU[ OLHK Z[HY[ K\YPUN [OL ÄYZ[ `LHY VM SPML MVY [OLZL vulnerable oysters until they are large enough to be planted on a local sanctuary. Not only will more oysters be placed in the Chesapeake Bay as a result of your efforts, but rejuvenated oyster reefs will naturally become vital underwater ecosystems for a rich diversity of aquatic life. Working together, we can make real our vision for bringing about a cleaner, greener, more sustainable future all of us prefer – both for ourselves, and for future generations. Good luck and thank you again for working to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, and to set a vital example of stewardship for our fellow Marylanders. Sincerely,
Martin O’Malley, Governor
Taking Care of Your Oysters Hanging your Cages
Cages should be tied off about one foot below the surface of the water at low tide. The objective is to keep the oysters high up in the water column where the supply of plankton and oxygen is plentiful, without risking exposure to freezing air temperatures. In winter, your cages must be lowered to just above the river bottom to prevent exposure to freezing air temperatures during extreme low tides or storms. While oysters exposed to freezing air temperatures will die, they will remain healthy in cold water, even if completely encased in ice. For this reason it is essential that oysters remain underwater whenever there is a chance of freezing air temperatures. You may want to consider moving your cages to a deeper area of your dock for the winter if there is any chance the water depth will fall below the one-foot level. During warmer months, your cage can be raised closer to the water’s surface.
Care & Maintenance
Your cages and oysters need minimal regular care to control algae and barnacle growth and silt build up. For optimal growth they should be cleaned once a week by simply pulling the cages up and down in the water a few times. If you observe fouling organisms growing on the cage and/or oysters, you will need to lightly scrub the cage with a brush to remove build up and rinse with a hose. (Left uncontrolled the MV\SPUN VYNHUPZTZ ^PSS KLJYLHZL ^H[LY ÅV^ ^OPJO JHU ZSV^ [OL
growth of the oysters.) To further control fouling, the cage (with the oysters in it) can be left out of the water for up to two hours, during which time the fouling organisms will dry out and die. This can be done up to once a week during warmer months, however, the oysters should not be exposed to heat or direct sunlight for longer than three hours or they may die. 6UJL `V\»]L ÄUPZOLK JSLHUPUN [OL JHNL YLKPZ[YPI\[L [OL V`Z[LYZ evenly in the cage and re-hang from your pier. If the oysters sit too long without a rinse or jostle they may begin to grow through the wire mesh of the cage; it then becomes KPMÄJ\S[ [V YLTV]L [OLT ^P[OV\[ IYLHRPUN [OL ZOLSS HUK KHTHNPUN or killing the oyster. Frequent cleaning will help prevent this. Finally, during the cold winter months, the oysters will become dormant and no cleaning or rinsing is necessary.
More About Oysters Oysters are vegetarians. They eat algae -- microscopic plants that are rich in nutrients. The algae PZ ÄS[LYLK MYVT [OL ^H[LY I` [OLPY NPSSZ 4\JV\Z VU [OL NPSSZ [YHW [OL HSNHL Special cilia on the gills move the trapped algae to the oyster’s mouth. Oysters reproduce in summer. 3HY]HL ÅVH[ PU [OL ^H[LY MVY HIV\[ KH`Z [OLU ZL[[SL [V JSLHU OHYK surfaces on the bottom and attach. After attaching they develop into oysters and never move again.
Please Don’t Eat Your Oysters!
T
he goal of this project is to encourage citizens to act to contribute to the ecological health of the river. The oysters you grow will be planted in a sanctuary where a oyster reef commuUP[` VM ÄZO JYHIZ HUK V[OLY VYNHUPZTZ JHU KL]LSVW @V\ TH` ÄUK [OH[ ÄZOPUN V]LY [OL YLLM PZ better than in other locations. The Maryland Department of the Environment advises that oysters from this project not be eaten due to the potential presence of harmful pathogens in nearZOVYL ^H[LYZ ^OLYL [OL JHNLZ HYL RLW[ :OLSSÄZO HYL ÄSter feeders. As they strain the water for algae they also trap disease-causing organisms that may exist near the pier. The oyster seafood industry is highly regulated, and deeper waters where oysters are harvested are carefully monitored to ensure that the seafood is safe for human consumption.
MDE
If you have any questions about this issue, please contact MDE at 410-537-3608.
Contact For additional information please contact: The Maryland Department of Natural Resources oysters@dnr.state.md.us 410.260.8252 Toll free in Maryland 1.877.620.8DNR Press # then dial ext. 8252
Newly attached oysters are called spat. Spat are oysters less than 1 year old. Oyster spat require a hard clean surface on which to attach. While oyster shells are preferred for spat settlement, spat can attach to many natural and man-made objects including clam shells, mussel shells, stones, sticks, pebbles, turtle shells (live turtles), bricks, concrete, bottles, boots, rubber gloves, soda cans, pipes, bikes, cars, bulkheads and pilings. Larvae that settle on mud or sand will die. Oysters change sex. Young oysters are mostly male. At 2 years old, most have changed to females. Older oysters are mostly females. An oyster bar is a rich, diverse ecosystem. Oysters provide habitat to many other creatures, making an oyster bar a living reef. Numerous attached organisms grow on the outside of oysters, such as mussels, barnacles, sponges, hydroids, amphipods, ^VYTZ HUK IY`VaVHUZ ;OLZL VYNHUPZTZ H[[YHJ[ ÄZO HUK JYHIZ Oysters grow about an inch a year; a 3-inch market oyster is about 3 years old. They grow slower in lower salinity (about 1/2 an inch per year), and faster in higher salinity, sometimes reaching market size in 2 years. ( SHYNL V`Z[LY JHU ÄS[LY \W [V NHSSVUZ VM ^H[LY WLY day during warm months. ( YLZ[VYH[PVU ZP[L ^P[O TPSSPVU V`Z[LYZ JHU ÄS[LY HIV\[ TPSSPVU gallons per day. However, today’s depressed oyster population has little, if any, affect on water quality. The oyster population has been severely impacted by two diseases that kill oysters. Although they are harmless to people who eat oysters, the diseases Dermo and MSX -- microscopic protozoan parasites – have killed billions of oysters and degraded oyster bars. Oyster restoration efforts underway in Maryland include: Creating hard habitat to enhance reproduction and increase the oyster population; stocking sites with hatchery produced oysters when natural reproduction is low; closing areas to harvest to protect stocks; and YLN\SH[PUN [OL ÄZOLY` [V SPTP[ OHY]LZ[
The Marylanders Grow Oysters Project was established by Governor Martin O’Malley, and is being managed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources in conjunction with Talbot County, the Oyster Recovery Partnership and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. The oyster cages for this project were produced by the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.
Governor O'Malley, Governor McDonnell, Mayor Fenty and EPA Representatives Discuss Health and Future of the Bay O'Malley announces millions of dollars in grant money for restoration projects and the expansion of Marylanders Grow Oysters
ANNAPOLIS, MD (June 3, 2010) –Governor Martin O’Malley joined EPA Deputy Administrator Bob Perciasepe, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, Washington DC Mayor Adrian Fenty, and other state representatives for the 27th Chesapeake Bay Executive Council today to unveil a new accountability tool for measuring bay restoration progress, Chesapeake Stat, modeled after Maryland’s Baystat, and to highlight progress toward meeting two year milestones designed to accelerate Bay restoration. “Together, we’ve made real progress in accelerating our bay restoration efforts while increasing our transparency and accountability to our citizens,” said Governor Martin O’Malley. “Maryland is on target to hit the first of our two-year milestones that we put in place two years ago, reducing nitrogen by more than 1.3 million pounds. We are now starting to see some positive responses in water quality, bay grass and blue crab populations, but there is still much more work to do.” Governor O’Malley also highlighted several of the Maryland’s accomplishments including: o
Maryland has protected more than 28,000 acres through Program Open Space, under the leadership of Gov. O’Malley (versus only 6,442 acres during a comparable period during the previous administration) and fully funded the program every year since 2007
o o o o o
Maryland has established BaySTAT, StreamHealth, GreenPrint, AgPrint and Maryland’s Conservation tracker. These are interactive web-tools, enabling Maryland citizens to hold their government accountable. Maryland’s new stormwater program leads the region, now requiring the use of “environmental site design” that will dramatically reduce seditement and nutrient run-off from development. Maryland has a new concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) permit issued to control poultry litter at well over 500 of Maryland’s poultry operations for the first time. Maryland has worked together with Virginia to increase our blue crab population by 60% – its highest level since 1997. Maryland is on the verge of a implementing a new oyster plan that will expand aquaculture opportunities and establish a more effective network of science based sanctuaries, while maintaining a well-managed public fishery
At the Executive Council meeting, Governor O’Malley announced recipients of grants from the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund and the expansion of the Marylanders Grow Oysters program. Six million dollars in grants from the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund, its highest appropriation to date, will help local communities and landowners reduce nonpoint pollution. This year’s budget sets aside a total of $20 million for the trust fund for the new fiscal year starting in July. “These dollars are targeted in areas and ways that science shows us will have the best results,” said Governor O’Malley. “This process allows us to select those projects that will deliver the greatest possible benefits to the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.” The recipients of this year’s grants are: Howard County and Columbia Association; Anne Arundel County; Harford County; Talbot County; Kent County and Chester River Association; Queen Anne’s County, the Town of Centreville and the Corisca River Conservancy; and Baltimore City, Parks and People, and The Herring Run Watershed. The Marylanders Grow Oysters program is adding 7 new tributaries – the Chester River, the Miles River, Harris Creek, the Wye Rive, Cox Creek, Bodkin Creek, and Swan Creek to the program. These new tributaries will add more than 2,000 oyster cages to the already successful program. More than 61,000 oyster cages are already growing in 12 rivers across the state.
“The Marylanders Grow Oysters program has become quite a movement” said Governor O’Malley. “It shows how committed Maryland citizens are to cleaning up the Bay and taking care of the tributaries that flow through their backyard. Only through the continued commitment of all levels of government, businesses, watershed organizations, citizens and the working men and women of Maryland will be able to achieve our goal of a restored Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries by 2020”.