ANNAPOLIS, Md - The Environmental Protection Agency's Chesapeake Bay Program announced that oyster reefs in nine tributaries, a stream or river that flows into a larger stream, river or lake, have been restored across Maryland and Virginia, according to a press release from the program.
According to the program, 2,294 acres of oyster reefs have been restored between the two states.
These restoration efforts, were outlined within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, which was signed in 2014 and sets goals for restoring the Chesapeake Bay, smaller bodies of water and the land that surrounds the bay.
The oyster reef restoration efforts within the agreement stated that the program will restore oyster reefs in 10 bay tributaries by 2025. According to a press release from the program the tenth tributary, the Manokin River on the Eastern Shore is expected to be completed in the near future.
"This success story shows the power of effective habitat restoration for one of the Chesapeake Bay’s most important species," Maryland Department of Natural Resources Secretary Josh Kurtz stated in a press release from the program.
In addition to the 10 tributaries outlined in the agreement, Virginia added an eleventh tributary in 2019 in the eastern branch of the Elizabeth River.
"We are incredibly pleased to have not only met, but exceeded, our oyster restoration goal," Virginia Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources Stefanie Taillon stated in a press release from the program. "These results are a tremendous example of the power of a voluntary, partnership-driven approach to achieving a vibrant and healthy Chesapeake Bay."
According to the program, monitoring results from 2015 to 2023 found that resorted reefs within Maryland and Virginia have been successful.