Recommended
4th Large Scale Restoration
Tributary
St. Mary’s Sanctuary
Oyster Advisory Commission Meeting: August 13, 2018
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Oyster Advisory Commission Meeting: August 13, 2018
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Completed Steps1. Side scan sonar bottom survey – potential bottom suitable for restoration
2. Determine the acreage of currently restorable oyster habitat and define the
restoration goal (target acreage)
Bottom Survey Results from 2010 Sonar Survey
Oyster Advisory Commission Meeting: August 13, 2018
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Background Data
Oyster Advisory Commission Meeting: August 13, 2018
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Background Data
0.1 to 1 liter
1.1 to 5 liters
0 Liters
5.1 to 10 liters
10.1 to 15 liters
15.1 to 40 liters
Total Volume of Live
Oysters and Surface
Shell
DNR 2012 & 2015 Patent Tong Survey Results
Oyster Advisory Commission Meeting: August 13, 2018
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Currently Restorable Oyster Habitat (CROH)
Bottom Type Group Co-Occurring Bottom Type Group
Acres
Anthropogenic Oyster Rubble Sand 3.9
Sand Shell 6.4
Biogenic Oyster Rubble Mud 6.6
Anthropogenic Oyster Rubble Mud 11.6
Muddy Sand Shell 19.5
Biogenic Oyster Rubble Sand 21.7
Total 69.8
Currently Restorable Oyster Habitat (CROH) based on distribution
of shell bottom from recent survey data with a minimum depth of 4
ft. MLLW. Actual restoration would range from 50-100% of CROH.
Restorable Acreage
Oyster Advisory Commission Meeting: August 13, 2018
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Restoration Construction
Three types of areas
1. Area that already meets the restoration target – No construction needed
( greater than or equal to 50 oysters/m2 and 50 grams of biomass/m2)
2. Area that needs seed only construction
3. Area that need substrate and seed construction
Oyster Advisory Commission Meeting: August 13, 2018
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Restoration ConstructionProposed Restrictions to Construction Areas
Seed-Only Construction• Depth: 4-20 ft.
• Bottom Type: on shell dominant bottom
• Oyster Density: < 50 per square meter
• Lease Proximity: Not within 150 ft of leases
• Navigation Aid Proximity: Not within 250 ft of navigation aids
• Dock proximity: Not within 50 ft of private docks
• SAV Proximity: Not on SAV beds
• Fall Survey Key Bar: Not on a key bar
Substrate and Seed Construction• Depth: 6-20 ft.
• Bottom Type: Not on shell dominant bottom or on mud bottom
• Oyster Density: < 5 per square meter
• Lease Proximity: Not within 150 ft of leases
• Navigation Aid Proximity: Not within 250 ft of navigation aids
• Dock proximity: Not within 250 ft of private docks
• SAV Proximity: Not on SAV beds
• Fall Survey Key Bar: Not on a key bar
Oyster Advisory Commission Meeting: August 13, 2018
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Restorable AcreageCurrently Restorable Oyster Habitat (CROH) Target 69.8 acres
To meet the minimum 50% of CROH Target 34.9 acres
PreliminaryArea already potentially meeting restoration density and biomass target
27.4 acres
PreliminaryArea potentially suitable for Substrate and Seed restoration
10.9 acres
PreliminaryArea potentially suitable for Seed Only restoration
23.8 acres
PreliminaryTotal Area (Meet-Target + Substrate/Seed + Seed-Only)
62.1 acres
Percent of CROH 88.9%
St. Mary’s River Watershed Association restoration area 6.6 acres
Acreages of Meets-Target, Substrate/Seed, and Seed-Only will change
after the groundtruthing survey this Fall
Oyster Advisory Commission Meeting: August 13, 2018
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Draft MapDraft St. Mary’s Sanctuary Restoration Blueprint Map
Potential Seed-Only Restoration
Potential Substrate & Seed Restoration
Existing Sanctuary Boundary
Potential Already Meets Target
SMRWA Restoration Area
Oyster Advisory Commission Meeting: August 13, 2018
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Next Steps1. Side scan sonar bottom survey – potential bottom suitable for restoration
2. Determine the acreage of currently restorable oyster habitat and define the
restoration goal (target acreage)
3. Oyster patent tong groundtruth survey
• Determine exact acreages
• already exceeds target thus no restoration planting needed
• suitable for seed only construction
• suitable for substrate & seed construction
4. Develop a draft blueprint (plan) for restoring the sanctuary
5. Consulting scientists review draft blueprint
6. Public comment period on draft blueprint
7. Finalize blueprint, obtain substrate planting permits (if applicable), and
implementation
Oyster Advisory Commission Meeting: August 13, 2018
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Proposed Timeline
Summer/Fall 2018
Groundtruth Survey
Fall/Winter 2018
Draft Blueprint
Winter 2018/2019
Consulting scientists review
Public Outreach & Comments
Spring 2019
Finalize Blueprint
Start Seed-Only Construction
Start permit process for substrate construction
Winter/Spring 2020
Start substrate construction
Fall 2020
Complete initial restoration
Restoration Activities
in other Sanctuaries
Severn River Sanctuary
Oyster Advisory Commission Meeting: August 13, 2018
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Oyster Advisory Commission Meeting: August 13, 2018
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Severn River Sanctuary• DNR’s 2017 press release
stated restoration activities
would occur in other
sanctuaries besides the large-
scale restoration partnership
sanctuaries
• Started with Severn River
Sanctuary
• Ongoing work to plant
approximately 50 million
hatchery spat-on-shell in 2018
• State funded in conjunction
with private funds raised by
Severn River Association and
Oyster Recovery Partnership
Homework Assignment
Oyster Stock Assessment
Oyster Advisory Commission Meeting: August 13, 2018
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Oyster Advisory Commission Meeting: August 13, 2018
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The Sustainable Oyster Population and Fishery Act of 2016:
“…identify management strategies to address the maintenance of a sustainable
oyster population and fishery.”
List of Management Tools in Stock Assessment Report
• Will provide definitions of potential tools that could be used to manage public
commercial oyster fishery and oyster population based on the results of the
stock assessment
• Assembled with input from OAC, TFAC, SFAC and the County Oyster
Committees
• Will not provide recommendations on which management strategy(s) should be
selected and implemented
• Will provide the platform for a future public process to determine the course of
management
Please review the list of management tools and provide the department with
any management tools that you think should be added to the list. Please
send this to Jodi Baxter ([email protected]) by September 2, 2018.
Homework
Maryland Bay Conditions
Tom Parham
Maryland DNR
8/13/2018
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Salinity Conditions
• Above average rains from May through early August resulting in prolonged, lower than average Bay salinities.
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov DecSource: NOAA
Washington DC Rainfall (2018)
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Typical July Bay Salinity
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Oxygen Conditions
• Recent winds (July 21st and on) have mixed Bay and re-oxygenated waters from surface down to over 30 feet deep.
• However, June conditions more typical with adequate oxygen in many areas down to 20 feet or less.
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For Current Bay Conditions
Visit Click Before you Cast (Eyes on the Bay)
• Weekly forecast of fishing related Bay conditions
• Uses current monitoring information
• Maps and tools to identify depth of low oxygen, temperature breaks, salinity and flow conditions, algal bloom locations, bottom habitat locations, satellite pics
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