The Great Baltimore Oyster Partnership
We, along with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Baltimore businesses and residents like you, have come together to form the Great Baltimore Oyster Partnership.
In this program, baby oysters are grown at designated oyster garden locations in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, September through June. At the end of the season, the matured oysters are taken by boat to a protected oyster sanctuary in the Patapsco River, where they will live out the rest of their lives.
In addition to restoration, the goal of the Great Baltimore Oyster Partnership is to train its volunteers to become community scientists and oyster advocates who can speak to others about the pollution challenges facing the Baltimore Harbor and the role that oysters play in improving water health.
VOLUNTEER DATES
〰️
VOLUNTEER DATES 〰️
Why Grow Oysters In the Harbor?
The oysters we grow are for restoration purposes only and not for eating. We grow oysters because of their amazing ability to filter pollution out of the water and because of the critical habitat they provide.A full-grown oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water every day!
Two hundred years ago there were enough oysters to filter all of the water in the Chesapeake Bay in less than a week. Today it takes the remaining oysters over a year to filter the same amount of water.
How Can I grow Oysters In the Harbor?
If you’re an individual, you can volunteer to help us install and maintain our large public oyster gardens in Canton and near Federal Hill. Oyster gardening events will be hosted two Saturday mornings per month from Oct-Dec and Mar-June, weather permitting. Children 10+ are welcome.
Contact chelsea@waterfrontpartnership.org for more information.
Businesses interested in sponsoring their own oyster garden should contact adam@waterfrontpartnership.org.
Keep Up On The Weekly Buzz
Whether you live a few steps from the waterfront or take the occasional trip to visit, Harbor Beat is your source for local news, community events, historical insights, food & wine recommendations, and district updates.