Now we may be a little biased when it comes to loving Oysters, but there may be some facts about these little guys that just may surprise you. So here is a list of ways that explains some of the benefits of having a healthy oyster population in the Chesapeake Bay.
- A single mature oyster can filter up to 55 gallons of water per day
- Oysters remove silt and sediment from the water and serve as a wonderful habitat for other marine species
- When the oyster population was thriving (83 billion oysters), they could actually filter the entire Chesapeake Bay in just 3.3 days! Sadly it now takes over 700 days to do the same thing…
- A healthy oyster population also helps other species thrive, some of which include Blue Crabs, Rockfish, among others
- Healthy oyster populations when combined with other plantings can make for excellent shoreline stabilizers, which helps to combat erosion
If you knew all of these little facts, then you are probably already aware of what you can do to help restore the oyster population in the Chesapeake Bay. On the other hand, if some of these facts are new to you and you would like to learn more about helping to replenish the bay, then click here to find how you can help to heal the bay!