Research Overview

Oysters provide invaluable ecosystem services and agencies are interested in restoring the oyster population in the Maryland Coastal Bays (MCBs).

But, the distribution of natural spat and their relation to the distribution of fouling organisms (e.g. barnacles, bryozoans, and worm tubes), which can negatively and positively influence oyster settlement, is not known.

Therefore, we assessed the spatial and temporal distribution of juvenile oysters and fouling organisms from June through August 2019 using PVC settlement plates. 

This project can inform stakeholders in predicting the likelihood of success of oyster restoration projects and the data collected can serve as a baseline for future studies.