$800,000 in New Federal Funding for Chesapeake Bay Oyster Restoration

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Anthony G. Brown, Jamie B. Raskin and David Trone (all D-Md.) today announced a new federal grant of $800,000 for the restoration of oyster reefs that are vital to the health of the Chesapeake Bay.

The new funding for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources comes through NOAA Fisheries to support the placement of spat-on-shell, or oyster larvae, on up to 100 acres of oyster reefs in four Maryland tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay. Higher oyster density is expected to lead to increased environmental benefits, such as water filtration and more habitat for fish.

“Oysters are restoration engines for the Chesapeake Bay. They play a key role in the Bay’s ecosystem, filtering water and providing habitat for biodiverse aquatic wildlife. This new federal grant will deliver the resources to create 100 acres of oyster reefs, an area equivalent to 75 football fields, that will provide fertile ground for Bay restoration,” said the members. “We look forward to the successful implementation of these restoration projects and are committed to continuing to lead the effort to expand our investment in the health of the Chesapeake Bay.”

NOAA Fisheries provides funding and technical support to partners across the country to develop high-quality habitat restoration projects. Funding for the new Maryland project comes through the Community-based Restoration Program, which funds habitat restoration projects focused on supporting sustainable fisheries and recovering Endangered Species Act-listed species.

 

[TPD]

The money pit...

 

[LightRoasted]

For your consideration ...

In the distant past, when the water was not polluted with soil runoffs and chemicals such a PFAS, I'm sure oysters were pretty harmless for consumption. But these things are filtering contaminated waters with who knows what is in the water. And people still want to eat these water filtering slime bivalves that accumulate all the stuff they filter? No thank you.

 

[SamSpade]

For your consideration ...

In the distant past, when the water was not polluted with soil runoffs and chemicals such a PFAS, I'm sure oysters were pretty harmless for consumption. But these things are filtering contaminated waters with who knows what is in the water. And people still want to eat these water filtering slime bivalves that accumulate all the stuff they filter? No thank you.

I totally get that. But, we still need them.

 

[Sneakers]

I totally get that. But, we still need them.

Even if they don't get eaten, they still do an amazing job at water filtration.

 

[Gilligan]

Even if they don't get eaten, they still do an amazing job at water filtration.

I always get a chuckle out of these demos....few people stop and think: "OK..where all that crap go? Oh yeah...inside that arster I'm gonna eat"
But I eat the heck out of some oysters anyway...gotta die from somethin', right?

 

[Gilligan]

...a new federal grant of $800,000 for the restoration of oyster reefs...

Talk about a tiny drop of nothing with zero consequence....and yet those morons are tooting their horns as if they've really done something.

 

[Bird Dog]

For your consideration ...

In the distant past, when the water was not polluted with soil runoffs and chemicals such a PFAS, I'm sure oysters were pretty harmless for consumption. But these things are filtering contaminated waters with who knows what is in the water. And people still want to eat these water filtering slime bivalves that accumulate all the stuff they filter? No thank you.

Had a dozen last night….delicious….and I’m still here

 

[Sneakers]

But I eat the heck out of some oysters anyway...gotta die from somethin', right?

Had a dozen last night….delicious….and I’m still here

:blech:

I used to farm oysters. After doing that and seeing first-hand how they live, I have no intention of ever eating another one.

I made an exception a few years back when Bird Dog graciously provided some at Sunset Cove. Didn't change my mind, tho. Sorry BD.

 

[Gilligan]

I made an exception a few years back when Bird Dog graciously provided some at Sunset Cove. Didn't change my mind, tho. Sorry BD.

Those were mighty good. I think BD grows his in special waters.

 

[Sneakers]

special waters

I ain't gonna ask.........

 

[jrt_ms1995]

... in special waters.

Like Hamm's beer!

 

[Gilligan]

I ain't gonna ask.........

Sayy..that was back when you and SG were still a hot item, wasn't it? I understand now why you swore off oysters.

 

[Sneakers]

Sayy..that was back when you and SG were still a hot item, wasn't it? I understand now why you swore off oysters.

 

[LightRoasted]

For your consideration ...

I always get a chuckle out of these demos....few people stop and think: "OK..where all that crap go? Oh yeah...inside that arster I'm gonna eat"
But I eat the heck out of some oysters anyway...gotta die from somethin', right?

Yeah, that is true. However, I'm thinking I'm a gonna just avoid them all the same. : )

 

[Gilligan]

For your consideration ...


Yeah, that is true. However, I'm thinking I'm a gonna just avoid them all the same. : )

I've survived motorcycle racing, offroad racing, construction accidents, 35 years of international travel, and three marriages. I'm beginning to think I might be invincible.

 

[Tilted]

For your consideration ...

In the distant past, when the water was not polluted with soil runoffs and chemicals such a PFAS, I'm sure oysters were pretty harmless for consumption. But these things are filtering contaminated waters with who knows what is in the water. And people still want to eat these water filtering slime bivalves that accumulate all the stuff they filter? No thank you.

I understand that line of thought, but the natural extension of it would mean we shouldn't be eating any seafood. (For that matter, the same might be thought with regard to land animals as similar processes can affect them.)

Whatever contaminants might accumulate in Oysters (and other filter feeders) will generally accumulate in higher concentrations in marine life further up the food chain. We refer to this process as biomagnification. For every pound of meat found in an animal further up the food chain, far more than a pound of meat from animals further down the food chain will have been consumed by it. So those things which tend to stick around in animal tissue, rather than being excreted or broken down through ordinary biological processes, will tend to accumulate in greater concentrations.

That said, when it comes to oysters filtering the water the main thing being filtered out is algae. That's what oysters eat - not all that different from how cows, e.g., eat grass - so that's not a problem when it comes to the edibility (by humans) of oysters. They also filter out other things such as sediment and some generally undesirable stuff. But they excrete waste just as other animals do. And for some of the stuff they filter out, they never digest it they just blow it back out in somewhat clumpier form. So, for some things, their filtering of undesirable stuff means they remove it from the water column and deposit it in larger clumps on the sea floor. That's generally helpful for the health of marine environments just as filtering out some of the over concentration of algae is.

The point is, most of what oysters filter out of the water column isn't retained in the tissue of oysters. It's either broken down and used through digestion or expelled from the oysters. Further, whatever bad stuff is retained in the tissue of oysters tends to get more concentrated in other animals, which humans eat, further up the food chain - e.g., crabs and fish.