More Progress to Report on National Oyster Day!

Reef Balls

August 5, 2021 (Chesapeake Beach, MD)- The Chesapeake Beach Oyster Cultivation Society (CBOCS) joined the efforts of a special oyster restoration event on July 29th.

John Bacon along with David Sikorski from the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) and Ben Hutzell from the Resource Restoration Group (RRG) traveled with Captain Jay Berry by water to a location east of Holland Point to view and document the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) depositing 78 spat covered 300 pound reef balls on the northern part of the Old Rock Reef.  


A video from the boat was taken and narrated by David Sikorski, it is available at http://fb.watch/72_RMydhP4/  

Drone footage is available by Ben Hutzell, which is included in a CBF video of Allison Colden explaining the procedure, it is available at https://whatsupmag.com/news/partnership-adds-78-oyster-reef-balls-off-coast-of-chesapeake-beach/

Check out the magazine article by Catherine Wilson in Southern Maryland Chronicle https://southernmarylandchronicle.com/2021/08/02/conservation-foundation-drops-78-oyster-reef-balls-in-the-chesapeake/


During the trip reef balls and oyster shells were deposited on the CBOCS section of the reef. These reef balls will protect the oysters from poachers, and the oyster shells will be used by reproducing oysters to set larva creating new spat. Used oyster shells are collected from Traders Seafood and Ale and behind the Chesapeake Beach Town Hall. Recently CBOCS has been receiving some reef balls from CCA.  CBOCS will continue this effort until reaching its permitted limit of reef ball.

During the past 10 years CBOCS has placed more than 1 Million oysters on the reef. To view more images click here. To view John Bacon's full report click here

Join the good work! The next CBOCS oyster event is September 10, at 10 AM, at the boat ramps at Marina West behind the Northeast Community Center. At this time will be depositing 100,000 oyster spat and several reef balls on our reef. Volunteers are encouraged to participate in this hour long event.  Bring a box cutter and wear gloves.