The Chesapeake Bay was once home to a quantity of oysters beyond our imagination. There are accounts that “Oyster reefs rose so high that they grazed the bottoms of boats sailing the Bay. Their meat grew so plump that those who partook required a knife and fork to cut them.”

From the time when the original colonists settled on the shores of Jamestown, Virginia in the 1600s, it is estimated that today there are less than 1% of the original population of oysters in the Chesapeake Bay. Such a shame when you consider that the Eastern Oyster may be the long term solution to the Bay’s pollution problems.

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States and arguably the most beautiful. Its environs are a wonderful place to live, work and play. Nestled in the states of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, the Bay, while wild and beautiful, is suffering from daunting, multi-faceted pollution damage.

So what does this have to do with the Eastern Oyster, our native species? These remarkable small animals are filter feeders. The oyster feeds by opening and closing its shell, thereby pumping water through its gills, filtering out plankton and other particles. During the filtering process oysters also remove algae, suspended sediments and chemical contaminants, making the water clean and clear for bay grasses and other underwater life.

One oyster can clean more than 50 gallons of water per day.

In addition to its cleaning service, oyster colonies provide underwater habitat in the form of aquatic reefs. These reefs provide hard surface areas needed by many sea creatures to hide, breed and feed. Further, oyster larvae and “spat” are in turn fed upon by great numbers of animals. Young oysters are eaten by the bay’s famous delicacy, the blue crab, and by many shore birds.

Historically, Chesapeake oystering has meant big business, contributing to the region’s economy and building a rich history and cultural heritage in the Bay region. From the catch, sale, packing, shipping – Bay oysters have been appreciated so long on restaurant menus that overfishing has reduced the population to critical levels. And even these super, bi-valve cleaners of the Bay can’t live in filth. Pollution has killed off many millions of animals. Add natural disease and environmental stress and you can see that we’ve been very tough on our little friend. Yet we expect more from this tireless creature.

In recent years we are breeding oysters in captivity and releasing them in protected areas of the Bay and its tributaries. These implanted oyster rookeries are doing well and are a key component in the arduous task of cleaning up the Chesapeake. For more information on cleaning up the Bay, see: http://cbf.typepad.com/chesapeake_bay_foundation/">Chesapeake Bay Foundation,

The Chesapeake Bay Oyster… a tireless friend. And delicious too.

See more Chesapeake Wildlife articles by this author: https://knoji.com/chesapeake-bay-wildlife-the-osprey/">The Osprey, https://knoji.com/chesapeake-bay-wildlife-the-great-blue-heron/">The Great Blue Heron, https://knoji.com/chesapeake-bay-wildlife-the-eagle/">The Eagle,