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Oct 18, 2008 9:15 am US/Eastern
Oysters May Be The Answer To Cleaning The Bay
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) ―
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Experts are placing live oysters on a reef to clean up the bay.
CBS
The key to cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay may fit in the palm of your hand. And, believe it or not, those filters are actually alive.
You are probably already familiar with this potentially miracle answer. They are called "oysters."
Mike Schuh reports scientists tried a new method this week to place these living filters onto an artificial reef, and that artificial reef may have a direct connection to many people.
Some people hated traveling over the Wilson Bridge and they cheered its destruction. Now, it's under 30 feet of water in Calvert County.
Go out to where the bay water clears. It's a first of a kind mission. A half million baby oysters are placed on old oyster shells.
"On this one, there looks to be about eight on this side," said Stepan Abel with the Oyster Recovery Partnership.
But 30 feet is deeper and these waters are saltier than they've tried before. But the big first Friday was how the oysters are being placed.
Divers will get the perfect number of oysters in just the right spots.
"If we do it in a manner less precise we won't get a good feel about the exact survivability of what these oysters are, and how they are reproducing and how they're functioning ecologically down there," said Mary Gary, DNR Fisheries Service.
The "Wilson Rubble" already has good marine growth. The oysters need to be up out of the mud.
"We're basically placing it on flat, firm substrate, so it won't sink into the mud and suffocate and die," said Steve Allen with the Oyster Recovery Partnership.
So far, at least 60 groups are involved, including the charter boats.
"Once the oysters take, it will attract even more marine wildlife and it will also filter the bay, which is something we really need," said Brian Keehn with the Maryland Charter Boat Association.
A thriving oyster bed is one thing, getting the money to do this again is another.
In the never ending search for private funds, a world renowned underwater photographer donated his services. High definition underwater video attracts donors.
"But really funding is our obstacle and we're looking for more folks to come on board," said Gary.
From here to there it will be regular monitoring of this reef, to see if the oysters are growing and healthy.
The Oyster Recovery Partnership is looking for more money to place oysters on the other four reefs built from the rubble of the Wilson Bridge.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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