Oyster Beds Now Sittin' Under The Docks Of The Bay

Cleaning Up The Chesapeake A Serious Business For Oyster King

By Rochelle Karina
Just 50 years ago the waters of the Chesapeake Bay were cleaned naturally thanks to the presence of an estimated 20 billion oysters. Today, the oyster reefs are no longer active and the bottom of the bay is a lifeless place with no oxygen and no sunlight filtering through the murk. Essentially, there is nothing to promote life or speed the decay process.
Current estimates place the oyster population at just one or two percent of what it used to be.

“Our prime mission is to clean the water,” says Gregory Dunn, Director of Operations at Oyster King 1, a recently established business focused on cleaning up the bay.
The answer to rebuilding the bay and restoring a healthy eco-balance may well be rebuilding the oyster population. Because of the conditions near the bottom, oysters must be grown in the top third of the water column, where there is sufficient sunlight and oxygen for them to thrive. Oysters are such a vital part of the bay’s ecosystem, the state of Maryland offers a tax credit to homeowners who install oyster beds on their waterfront docks.
To that end, Oyster King creates a “Floating Oyster Hotel,” a two-layer growth cage that suspends a large tray of oyster spat (baby oysters) within the top three feet of water. Oysters grown this way grow larger, and at a faster rate, than in nature. Within nine months, they’re mature enough to be moved to a top-water sanctuary.
“The cage design ensures predators don’t eat the oysters,” says Dunn, “and the inner bag keeps out smaller predators.”
There are three options with Oyster King 1, their Dock of the Bay program installs a Floating Oyster Hotel under the client’s dock. The cost is $500, which is offset by the Maryland tax credit. Oyster Acres is for those clients who don’t own waterfront property, but still wish to support oyster re-population; the program is virtually identical to the Dock of the Bay option, but the oyster bed is placed in non-navigable waters. Business clients can participate in the Open Waters program, which supports large tracts of beds in non-navigable waters.
In addition to the initial installation, an Oyster King crew will come out to service the beds several times each year. The process involves changing the cage and bags to prevent overgrowth of algae, which would kill the oysters.
The crews consist mostly of local college kids. “This is a mentor process,” said Dunn, “to motivate and teach good work ethics and encourage these kids.”
As for the ultimate goal – cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay - Dunn explains, “We’re tapping into the revolution of people wanting to go green. People are proud of their little section of the rivers and creeks and they want to take care of them.”
Oyster King 1 can be reached at 410-255-1492 or on the web at www.oysterking1.com.