SUSTAINABLE OYSTER AQUACULTURE, WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICE POTENTIAL IN MARYLAND, CHESAPEAKE BAY

The United States has an $11.2 billion seafood trade deficit. NOAA is targeting expanded shellfish aquaculture to close this gap while also recognizing water quality benefits of increased oyster populations. In the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay, the number of oysters harvested by aquaculture has increased tenfold since 2010 (Figure 1). Oysters are well known for their ability to effectively remove nutrients from the water column through filtration and assimilation into tissue and shell, as well as through oyster farm related denitrification. This recognition has led to approval of harvested oyster tissue for use as a nutrient Best Management Practice (BMP) in Chesapeake Bay to help jurisdictions meet mandated nutrient reductions. There has been interest in compensating oyster operations for the nutrients removed through the Maryland Nutrient Trading Program established in 2010.  With the approval of the oyster tissue BMP, payment to growers is possible once approved by the trading program pending development of a payment mechanism. This study is designed to evaluate the potential nutrient removal via sustainable oyster aquaculture, the value of the nutrients removed, and the potential payment to growers for the nutrient removal service their oysters provide.