Delaware Center for Inland Bays works on biggest oyster restoration project in it’s 30 year history

OCEAN VIEW, Del. – Protecting the bays for all of us, the mission statement for the Delaware Center of the Inland Bays.

The group has started a new oyster reef restoration project, the biggest in its 30 years. Science Technician, Morgan Krell, said this is all the starting point. “This reef is the largest one we’ve built but it’s not the endpoint, we want to take what we learned from this reef, and we want to use that for future reefs, we’re testing new construction methods here in these bays.”

The project aims to provide huge benefits to the environment and the people who live around them. CIB’s Director of Estuary Science and Restoration Meghan Noe Fellows knows there are many advantages to restoration.

“The oyster reef will actually create some ancillary benefits, so they will create more habitat for grass shrimp, or corals, or sponges, or even oyster toad catchers, so more fish will be attracted to the habitat creating a more functioning ecosystem.”

Due to the sediments in the bays, many of the oysters would choke. Due to this, the group has to build their upward. However, not all bays have to deal with that in the area. “The Delaware Bay, the Chesapeake Bay, they can just lay down oyster shell on the bottom and oyster will grow, that doesn’t really work on the inland bays, because we’re tidal, because we have a lot of wind, and storms.” Said Fellows.

The group built a reef in the same area in 2001. The project then, didn’t reach its original expectations. Krell though, thinks it has laid the foundation for future success towards restoration efforts.

“One oyster reef is not going to bring back oysters to our bays, we need a network of reefs, we need multiple different sources for baby oysters to be being born from, and different places for them to colonize.”