Deltaville Maritime Museum

Oyster Restoration Exhibit

Oyster Restoration Project

If you love oysters, you’re in the right place!

Whether they grow wild, are aquacultured, or are a result of restoration projects, the Chesapeake Bay is once again becoming home to thriving oyster populations.

The Chesapeake Bay’s history is tied closely to that of its native oyster, known as the American oyster or Crassostrea virginica. For centuries, this species of shellfish has grown wild throughout much of the salty waters of the Chesapeake Bay. American Indians and English settlers in the Bay region both depended on then-plentiful oysters for survival, as food and tools.

While the Chesapeake Bay watershed and wild oyster populations have changed a great deal over the years, the importance of oysters to the environment, economy, and society has remained high.

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In the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem, we call oysters a "keystone species" because they create critical habitat and perform irreplaceable ecosystem services. Keystone species are foundational organisms without whom the entire system's function is compromised.

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Oysters, and the reefs they build, are essential components of a healthy Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. Oysters filter the water as they feed, removing algae, phytoplankton and sediments which improves water clarity and quality. Oyster reefs also provide many nooks and crannies for other animals to live in and hide from predators, like tropical coral reefs.

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Many of the animals living on the reef, including oysters, are food for other important Chesapeake animals like blue crabs, striped bass and speckled trout. Oyster reefs can also absorb wave energy, protecting shorelines, coastal homes and buildings, and roads from erosion.

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This sign is installed by the water at the Deltaville Maritime Museum - when you visit, be sure to take a look!

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Oysters are not only essential to the ecosystem, they are also the backbone of the coastal seafood economy in the Chesapeake Bay. Whether wild caught or farmed, oysters are a valuable source of seafood worth tens of millions of dollars for Virginia watermen and aquafarmers.

Wild oyster populations in the Chesapeake Bay have been in collapse due to mismanagement, poor water quality, disease, and siltation for over a century. The current wild oyster population is estimated to be only about 1-2 percent of historic population levels.

Restoration of Chesapeake Bay Oyster Reefs
Because of the importance of oysters to the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem and economy, restoration efforts are underway to bring back this critical keystone species. Many organizations and agencies, like NOAA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, are working to restore oyster habitat and reef substrate, as well reintroducing oysters into the ecosystem at restoration sites along the estuary.

How Oyster Restoration Works
After an optimal site is identified, hard substrate made of either oyster shell or granite rock is planted on the bottom, becoming the foundation for the restoration reef. The planted substrate materials provide a stable surface for larval oysters to settle on and attach to in their transition to the spat phase of life. Over time the reproduction of each generation of oysters and the subsequent attachment of spat to the hard substrate in the restoration reef transforms the initial human-engineered system into a living, sustainable reef.

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This sign is also installed by the water at the Deltaville Maritime Museum, along with other interpretive signage about oysters and the area.

You can learn more about oyster reef restoration in the Chesapeake Bay by visiting the NOAA website, or the Chesapeake Oyster Alliance website.

Oyster Restoration in the Piankatank River

One of the goals of the Chesapeake Bay Program is to restore oysters to 10 Chesapeake tributaries by 2025; one of these tributaries is the Piankatank River. The restoration reef in the Piankatank River is a part of one of the largest such projects in the world. Here in the Piankatank River, approximately 438 acres of oyster reef have already been restored, while at the start of the project, 203 acres of existing reef had met the definition of “restored”. Restoration partners have now constructed an additional 175 acres of reef, with 60 acres left to meet the overall goal by 2025. In 2021, there is a goal to build 33 new acres of reef. The “Piankatank River Oyster Restoration Tributary Plan” is the full plan for oyster restoration in this area.

Partners in the Piankatank

Many organizations, institutions, and agencies have partnered to restore healthy oyster reefs in this area. The restoration process includes many stages, including site selection, design, construction, and subsequent monitoring, as well as ongoing stewardship of water quality that will sustain a healthy oyster population.

Partners in this effort include:

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Virginia Institute of Marine Science
US Army Corps of Engineers
Virginia Marine Resources Commission
The Nature Conservancy
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Virginia Commonwealth University
The communities in the Piankatank River watershed

What Can You Do?

Everyone can help bring back oysters in the Piankatank River! You don’t have to be a scientist or a part of a big organization to make an impact. Below are some ways you can get involved and lend a hand.

Protect the ecosystem by disposing of your trash properly.
Reduce or eliminate your use of chemical pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides to protect the reef.
Use living shorelines and other green infrastructure to protect the shoreline and provide oyster habitat.
Use native plants to buffer your property to reduce erosion and keep sediment and stormwater runoff out of the water.
Properly dispose of pet waste to reduce bacterial pollution.
Pump out and inspect your septic system regularly to prevent pollution from entering Chesapeake Bay creeks and streams.

Recycle Your Oyster Shells

Oyster shell recycling is a great way that anyone who eats oysters can support oyster restoration. After leaving your plate, used oyster shells are collected and delivered to an oyster shell drop-off site. Shells are composted to remove food debris, aged until they are ready to be reused and then cleaned. Recycled shells are then loaded onto barges to be planted as substrate or seeded with new spat for reef projects. The diagram here shows the shell recycling process.

There are several programs in the area that run these sites, including The Virginia Oyster Shell Recycling Program (VOSRP) and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. To find a shell recycling location near you, or to volunteer on a restoration project, use the links above!

DID YOU KNOW? There is an oyster shell recycling location across from the museum!

Become an Oyster Gardener

You can also learn how to grow your own oysters! Homegrown oysters also perform important ecosystem services by helping with water filtration, can be harvested and planted on reefs for restoration, and some can even be eaten. To learn more, check out the links below:

CBF, TOGA

Please note: Because oysters are filter feeders, not all waters are suitable for growing oysters that are safe to eat. For more information on how growing waters are assessed for safety and sanitation, visit Virginia Department of Health.

Resources

For Teachers

Are you a teacher looking to incorporate lessons on the Chesapeake Bay and the importance of oysters into your curriculum? Below are some lesson plans and modules to

NOAA: Middle School, High School

For Oyster Lovers

People travel from all over the world to attend events that celebrate this mighty mollusc, including the Deltaville Seafood Festival, the Urbanna Oyster Festival and other events along the Virginia Oyster Trail. If you love to eat oysters and would like to support local oystermen and women and restaurants, check out the links below! These are great resources to find local oysters near you, whether you live here, or are just in town for a visit. Although there are local options for eating oysters year-round in Virginia, November is Virginia Oyster Month, making it a great time to sample oysters from the state’s eight oyster tasting regions. Each of these regions imparts its own characteristics on how oysters grown there taste.

https://www.virginiaoystertrail.com/

https://www.virginiasriverrealm.com/virginias-oyster-country/

https://www.oystersouth.com/

http://virginiaoysters.org/