Oysters

During the 1950s and 1960s, watermen were typically harvesting 25 million pounds of oysters from the Bay each year, making it the Bay’s most valuable commercial fishery.  But the oyster population has never recovered from the widespread infestation of two diseases in the late-1980s. 

In 2002, the population of oysters in the Bay was 2% of 19th century levels.  By 2007, it had fallen further to about 1% of historic levels.

The decimation of the oyster population is not just a tragedy for oyster lovers and fishermen.   Oysters contribute significantly to the health of the Bay.   An adult oyster can filter as much as 60 gallons of water a day, either consuming the sediments and nutrients or depositing them into harmless packets on the Bay floor.  One hundred years ago, it took the oyster population about 3.6 days to filter the amount of water contained in the upper and middle Bay.  Today, it would take the current oyster population 700 days to accomplish this.