In addition to providing science toward managing healthy fisheries of fish and crabs, NCBO also supports a variety of programs on oysters. Oysters are important because they filter water, form reefs that provide habitat for many Bay species, and are a valuable seafood product. But in the Chesapeake Bay, the species of oyster that is native to the region, Crassostrea virginica (also called the eastern, American, or Atlantic oyster), is almost gone. Overharvesting, habitat destruction, pollution, and disease have reduced native oyster populations to a mere one percent of historic levels in the Chesapeake Bay.

NCBO supports efforts to restore numbers of native oysters and is exploring alternatives, such as scientific research on the pros and cons of introducing a non-native oyster to the Bay. In addition, NCBO supports oyster aquaculture as well as coastal and onshore shellfish and marine finfish aquaculture. For more information, visit NCBO’s oyster pages.