March 8, 2025 — Researchers at Morgan State University’s Patuxent Environmental and Aquatic Research Laboratory quantified how restored oyster reefs in the NOAA Middle Peninsula Habitat Focus Area in Virginia would affect the local economy. They found that oyster reef restoration in the York and Piankatank rivers has a meaningful effect on the area’s economy. Results of their work, which was funded through the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Fisheries Research Program, were published in Ecological Modelling.
Oyster reefs provide habitat and food for commercially important species, including blue crabs. More healthy reef habitat means more blue crabs are available for harvest and for your dinner table. That provides financial benefits to watermen and supporting industries along the way.
In recent years, the York and Piankatank rivers have been the site of large-scale oyster reef restoration projects. That effort has led to 204 acres of restored oyster reefs in the York River and 497 acres in the Piankatank River. These projects have been spearheaded by members of the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Virginia Oyster Restoration Workgroup, including:
- NOAA
- Virginia Marine Resources Commission
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- The Nature Conservancy
These reefs support commercial and recreational fishing. But what would happen if there were more—or fewer—oyster reefs in the river? What other changes might affect the blue crab fishery?