When I checked my oysters on Sunday, the spat had grown a little bit since last week, but there was very little growth or “fouling” on the cages themselves, so….
Here’s what you should do for maintenance this week:
- Actively dunk your cages up and down in the water to remove silt and sediment from the spat so that they don’t smother and die.
- Give your cages a quick shake to keep the oysters from growing together.
- Leave the cages on your dock for about an hour to let any growth that has occurred to dry out and die.
- Set a timer so that you don’t forget to put the oysters back in the water!
- Make sure that your oysters are evenly distributed on the bottom of the cage and put them back in the water.
Soon it will be time to put our oysters to “bed” for the winter. This should happen in the next month or so, depending on water temperature. We will keep you posted.
As always, please call Suzanne at 410-822-9143 if you are having any problems with the maintenance of your cages. Talk to you next week!
Sincerely,
Scott W. Eglseder, Founder
The Chesapeake Bay “Advance and Protect” Oyster Reef Recovery Initiative