Manokin River Selected for Large-Scale Oyster Restoration

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources today announced its intention to recommend the Manokin River in Somerset County as the fifth and final tributary for large-scale oyster restoration as per Maryland’s commitment to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.

The recommendation will be sent to federal partners, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers before a management plan is finalized and restoration work can commence.

This recommendation follows the surveying of Breton Bay in St. Mary’s County – thedepartment’s initial restoration recommendation in December 2017 – which found no live oysters, no dead oysters and very little remaining oyster beds or shells among the tributary’s muddy and sandy bottom. Poor dissolved oxygen levels and lack of suitable bottom were also factors in recommending the Manokin.

“Following an in-depth review and scientific study of Breton Bay, the department had to shift its focus to another tributary that would fulfill the state’s commitment to large-scale oyster restoration,” Maryland Natural Resources Secretary Mark Belton said. “We believe that the Manokin River – an area situated to provide for natural, robust and self-sustaining oyster recruitment and reproduction – provides the best possible site for large-scale restoration success.”

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