Assess the Feasibility of Oyster Restoration at Assateague Island National Seashore

Project Description: The goals of this project are to determine the distribution and timing of spat settlement for oysters within Sinepuxent and Chincoteague bays adjacent to Assateague Island and to determine if spat settlement is adequate enough to reestablish and restore native oyster populations in this area.

A one-year field study will be implemented by University of Maryland Eastern Shore staff and students to collect relevant parameters at 12 monitoring sites. Each site will be visited at two-week intervals for data collection. Study results and findings will be summarized into a comprehensive final report that will include a description of the methods used, results observed, and a discussion of findings. Suggestions for future management strategies associated with the potential for oyster restoration within the coastal bays will be provided. These results will be shared with an established regional working group including scientists from UMES, MD Department of Natural Resources, National Park Service, The Nature Conservancy, and the Maryland Coastal Bays Program to determine if future restoration of this species is practicable.

Lead Principal Investigator: Dr. Bradley Stevens, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore

Partner Institution: University of Maryland, Eastern Shore

Federal Agency: National Park Service

Federal Agency Technical Contact: Bill Hulslander

Project Type: Research

Project Discipline: Natural Resources

Project Sub-Discipline(s): Biological (Ecology, Fish, Wildlife, Vegetation, T&E), Water (FW & Marine)

Start Year: 2018

End Year: 2021

Initial Funding Amount: $32,242.00

Federal Grant Number: P18AC01303

Location: Assateague Island

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