84 Truckloads of Oyster Shells Were Sent From Washington to Chesapeake Bay to Help Clean It Up

Oregon City, Oregon – To help the oyster population in the Chesapeake Bay grow again, three seafood companies worked together to move 84 truckloads of millions of Pacific oyster shells from Washington State to Maryland.

The company Pacific Seafood, with its main office in Clackamas, Ore., along with Madison Bay Seafood and Wittman Wharf Seafood, has been working together since the beginning of 2024 to bring oyster shells from Pacific Seafood’s processing plant in South Bend, Wash., to the restoration site in Toddville, Md.

After years of harvesting and shipping oyster shells, the oyster fishery is running out of shells for oysters to grow in the bay. This project comes at a good time.

The Pacific oyster shells will help repopulate the bay and build oyster reefs over the next 18 months. These are important for growing oyster populations as well as other fish and crab species that live in the bay.

They said that the shells would be put in the bay by the end of summer.

Northwest fish South Bend Plant Manager Jenn Allison said, “At Northwest Seafood, we believe in using all parts of the seafood species to avoid waste.” “We’re proud to help rebuild the oyster population for this public fishery and back an effort that fits with our values of environmentally friendly and long-lasting living.”

Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources was skeptical at first because they were worried about bringing Pacific oysters to the Chesapeake Bay. However, research showed that the shells would work in the bay, which helped the project get regulatory approval, according to Pacific Seafood.

The business said the project is a “major turning point” in protecting the ocean and demonstrates “the strength of working together across coasts.”