US: Maryland selects locations for three new oyster-restoration sanctuaries

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will create three new oyster-restoration sanctuaries, continuing the work of the department to restore the historic oyster beds of Chesapeake Bay. The sites, in Herring Bay, the Nanticoke River, and Hoopers Straight, will build on the success of previous efforts to rebuild the Chesapeake’s oyster population, which once sustained one of the most valuable fisheries in the bay but has since reached historic lows due to decades of overfishing, pollution, and disease. “These three large-scale restoration sanctuaries represent a new chapter for oyster restoration in Maryland,” Maryland DNR Secretary Josh Kurtz said in a statement. “We’ve had tremendous success with our existing restoration sanctuaries, and we’re excited to build on that achievement and keep up the momentum for oyster recovery in the Chesapeake Bay.” Oyster sanctuary restoration work started in the bay with the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, which began ...