Delaware Bay Oyster Restoration Project

This project is a cooperative initiative carried out by the Delaware Bay Oyster Restoration Task Force to revitalize the Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) population in Delaware Bay. With congressional support and federal funding, the task force coordinated the planting of more than 280,000 bushels of ocean quahog, surf clam and Maryland oyster shells spread over 150 acres in 2005. These efforts yielded a 10% increase in oyster recruitment. According to projection, the project could increase oyster production to between 200,000 and 400,000 bushels per year, and revitalize the oyster industry as much as $60 million between Delaware and Maryland.