Year-End Maintenance
There are just a few things you need to do to put your oysters to bed for the winter. First of all, give them one last good dunking up and down to wash off any accumulated silt and sediment that may have accumulated over the last month. Number two, give the cages a good shake to keep the oysters from growing together. Finally – and this is critical – lower your cages so that they are about six inches off of the bottom of your creek or river.
As you know, we get some very low tides during the winter months and it is essential that your oysters are not exposed to the freezing air! If they are frozen in water, they will be fine. If they are exposed to freezing air they will die!
If you have any questions or need any help, please call Kelsey at 410-822-9143. We may send out a letter or two in January or February, and then starting in March as the water begins to warm up, the maintenance letters will increase in frequency. Thank you for your participation as one of our growers and please let us know if we can help you in any way.
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Sincerely,
The Oyster Reef Recovery Initiative
P.S. If you would like to have a sign for your dock indicating that you are participating in the Marylander’s Grow Oysters program, please give Kelsey a call at 410-822-9143 and she can make arrangements for you to stop by the office and pick one up!
Also, if you would like to receive our monthly e-mail newsletter, please give Kelsey a call with your e-mail address and we will add you to the list.