In 2012, four and a half million oysters were planted in the St. Mary's River oyster sanctuary (1/2 million from the MGO program). This year marked the start of the SMRWA Oyster Nursery Setting Facility and the 3-Dimensional Reef Project. Using it's Oyster Nursery Setting Facility the SMRWA grows its own oysters for restoration projects at a cost lower than the alternative method, purchasing juvenile oysters (spat-on-shell). With overwhelming support from volunteers, over 400 half-bushel oyster shell bags were prepared for the Setting Facility Tank and the resulting spat-on-shell were transfered to their permanent location in the sanctuary.
The Reef Project is a partnership between the St. Mary’s River Watershed Association, the Leonardtown Rotary Club, and St. Mary’s College of Maryland to construct 3D reef mounds (using reef balls, concrete rubble, and oyster shell) and conduct long-term monitoring of the a 5 acre plot in Horseshoe Bend. This project aims to comparing the long-term sustainability of 3D and 2D (traditional, flat shell reefs), assessing differences in habitat suitability, oyster colonization, survival, and growth, and water quality.
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