Shellfish Related Programs

Ecological Restoration

Working closely with our partners to rehabilitate degraded habitat, improved bar quality and to plant disease-free hatchery oysters

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Aquaculture

Helping individuals or business persons apply for leases

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Commercial Fishing

Provide resources to watermen about the public oyster fishery

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Monitoring and Assessment

Collecting data to guide decisions regarding protection, restoration and commercial harvest of oysters in Maryland.

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Citizen Outreach

Initiated in 2008, the citizen outreach program know as Marylanders Grow Oysters is managed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources in conjunction with the Oyster Recovery Partnership, the University of Maryland and local organizations.

Latest Shellfish News
Area of Tred Avon River Approved for Shellfish Harvesting | (11/14/2011)
Bacteria Levels Decrease; Portion of River, Other Talbot County Waterways, Open to Harvesting at Any Time Starting TodayBALTIMORE, MD – The Maryland Department of the Environment is reclassifying an area of the Tred Avon River and parts of other nearby waterw...

DNR Releases Preliminary Oyster Mortality Rates For The Upper Bay | (11/10/2011)
Fall Survey finds concentrated pockets of high oyster mortality In preliminary findings from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) annual Fall Oyster Survey biologists have found concentrated pockets of dead oysters in some areas of the upper Bay...

Area of St. Mary's River Approved for Shellfish Harvesting | (10/18/2011)
Bacteria Levels Decrease; Portion of River, Other St. Mary's County Waterways, Open to Harvesting at Any Time Starting Today The Maryland Department of the Environment is reclassifying an area of the St. Mary’s River and parts of other nearby waterways to al...

Chesapeake Montessori School To Grow Oysters | (9/16/2011)
Cages will be Placed in Whitehall Creek as Part of Marylanders Grow Oysters ProgramStudents from the Chesapeake Montessori School will help to place oyster cages with spat into Whitehall Creek near Annapolis. The children will monitor these cages, maintaining ...

Secretary Griffin’s Response to Dr. Michael Wilberg’s Scientific Oyster Findings | (09/01/2011)
“It is the goal of Maryland to develop an abundant, self-sustaining native oyster population in the Chesapeake Bay; one that will be an ecological, economic and cultural resource for the Bay and for Maryland citizens. The scientific findings of Dr. Michael Wil...

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  • Dates have been set for four public hearings on the proposed regulations submitted in May as part of the implementation of the Governor's Oyster Restoration and Aquaculture Development Plan. Read more.
  • The Shellfish Program is holding elections for county oyster committee representatives. Please review the public notice for further details on voting.
  • As announced at the June 3rd Chesapeake Bay Executive Council meeting by Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, the Marylanders Grow Oysters (MGO) program is once again expanding to include seven new tributaries in its oyster gardening network for 2010. The new tributaries, located on Maryland's Eastern Shore and in AnneArundelCounty, are: the Chester River, the Miles River, the Wye River, Bodkin Creek, Cox Creek, Harris Creek and Swan Creek. MGO oysters grown during the 2009-10 season are currently being retrieved for placement in sanctuaries and cages will be refilled with new spat on shell later this summer.
  • MSU's Estuarine Research Center dedicates new oyster hatchery at ERC - Morgan State University's Estuarine Research Center (ERC) unveils its new oyster hatchery on Monday, May 3, 2010, Click here for full story.
  • The Oyster Recovery Partnership recently launched Maryland's first Oyster Shell Recycling Alliance. Oyster shell is a limited resource that should not be thrown away. Reused oyster shell provides crucial natural habitat for new oysters in the Chesapeake Bay. Click here to learn more.