GOVERNOR MARTIN O’MALLEY TO ANNOUNCE PLAN, REGULATIONS TO ENHANCE OYSTER RESTORATION

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Martin O’Malley will formally announce new proposed regulations aimed at restoring the Chesapeake Bay’s oyster population. The Governor will announce the next step in adopting Maryland’s Oyster Restoration and Aquaculture Development Plan, the submission of proposed regulations to the General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive, and Legislative Review (AELR) for consideration.

For the last four months, the O’Malley-Brown Administration engaged with stakeholders, concerned citizens, and industry experts to develop a plan to restore the oyster population in the Chesapeake Bay, allowing the filtering benefits of oysters to help in the Bay’s clean-up efforts. Last month, Governor O’Malley announced that after new regulations were put in place, the Bay’s blue crab population rose to its highest levels since 1997.