OpportunityTitle: Assessment of oyster reefs in the Great Wicomico River, VA
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: This opportunity is restricted to non-federal partners of the Chesapeake Watershed Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (CESU).
Description: Our objectives are to monitor and document the status of the new 2025 adaptive management, rehabilitation, and new construction reefs using criteria established by the Chesapeake Bay Program&#8217;s Sustainable Fisheries GIT Chesapeake Bay Oyster Metrics Report. According to the GIT metrics, an oyster sanctuary reef should achieve the target thresholds of 50 oysters/m2, 50 grams dry weight/m2, and a minimum of two-year classes. The reefs should undergo a physical assessment for density, biomass (dry weight), shell accretion, and size-frequency distribution. An assessment of other attached fauna for density and biomass is also desired. The data from the assessments will be used to inform adaptive management decisions and designs of other oyster restoration projects in the Chesapeake Bay. There are approximately 18.24 acres across 7 reef sites (Reefs 1&amp;2, 3, 4, 9, 10&amp;11, 13, and 16) in the network that will need to be assessed. The work is anticipated to include Years 1, 3, and 5 monitoring in 2026, 2028, and 2030.
GrantorContactEmailDescription: Kisha M. Craig
GrantorContactText: Kisha Craig &lt;br/&gt;Contract Specialist &lt;br/&gt;Phone 6016345397