St. Mary's River Watershed Association, Inc.

WHO WE ARE

NEWS / EVENTS

PUBLICATIONS

GALLERY

RESOURCES

CONTACT

       In 2014, four million oysters were planted in the St. Mary's River oyster sanctuary (1/2 million from the MGO program). After the natural recruitment of oysters in the previous summer, focus shifted from growing spat-on-shell to building and studying the 3D reef mounds and nearby(2D) flat bar.
      Four rounds in the nursery tank were completed (including the seeding of 4 reef balls) and 134 reef balls were constructed by SMRWA interns, staff, and volunteers. Oysters grown by the SMRWA during that summer were planted into the St. Mary's River as part of the DC Charter School field trip to St. Mary's College of Maryland in October.
      Of the 33 mounds that have been build since the start of the project in 2012 (including 19 reef ball, 2 shell pile, and 12 concrete rubble), four were seeded in with oyster larvae using an experimental in-situ method