Maryland oyster restoration got a boost in federal funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Sens. Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin, both D-Md., announced on August 30, 2016 that the Maryland Department of Natural Resources was awarded $800,000 in NOAA funding to go to oyster restoration activities in the Chesapeake Bay.
According to NOAA spokesperson Kim Couranz, the cooperative agreement between NOAA and DNR states that the money in fiscal year 2016 funding would go to support large-scale oyster restoration in Maryland waters, supporting production of spat (baby oysters) on shell production that will be planted primarily in the Tred Avon and Little Choptank rivers.
The Oyster Advisory Commission (OAC) has the duty of advising the Maryland Department of Natural Resources on matters related to oysters in the Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake and Coastal Bays, and strategies for rebuilding and managing the oyster population in these areas under the Chesapeake Bay Oyster Management Plan.
The OAC is charged with:
- providing DNR with advice on matters related to oysters;
- reviewing the best possible science and recommending changes to the framework and strategies for rebuilding and managing the oyster population in the Chesapeake Bay;
- reviewing the latest findings relevant to the Environmental Impact Statement evaluating oyster restoration alternatives; and
- reviewing any other scientific, economic, or cultural information relevant to oysters in the Chesapeake Bay.
Oyster reef photo by Jstuby via Wikipedia.
See full article by Josh Bollinger in The Star.
See website of the Maryland Oyster Advisory Commission.