The population of Maryland’s oysters has grown significantly in the past 20 years, according to the results of the latest benchmark stock assessment for the species. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science released the summary results of the stock assessment on Monday. “Good news for oysters is good news for the Chesapeake Bay,” DNR Secretary Josh Kurtz said. “This stock assessment shows that oysters have made important progress during the past two decades. That’s a testament both to our continued investment in oyster restoration and our careful management of the oyster fishery. These findings will help guide management decisions during the next several years.” The stock assessment analyzed the status of the population of eastern oysters, the keystone species that also holds important economic and cultural value for the Chesapeake Bay region, from 2005 to 2024. After a low point in 2005, shortly after oysters had been decimated by disease, the mollusks have increased in the following two decades. The stock assessment’s summary results give insight into multiple aspects of the oyster population and oyster fishery, with the full report scheduled to be released by DNR in June. As overall oyster […]
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