Fort Carroll Oyster Sanctuary
The Fort Carroll Oyster Sanctuary is a protected site for restoring oyster populations in the Baltimore Harbor, providing habitat for juvenile oysters relocated from nearby gardens. Volunteers transfer oysters to historic vessels and then transport them to the sanctuary for seeding onto reefs. Monitoring by scientists from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation has shown encouraging signs of spat survival and repopulation, which benefits the harbor's health and water quality for both humans and wildlife.
A Haven For Newly Grown Oysters
The Fort Carroll Oyster Sanctuary plays a vital role in the restoration of oyster populations in the Baltimore Harbor. With the ambitious goal of cultivating 5 million oysters by 2030, this sanctuary serves as an underwater haven for juvenille oysters that are relocated from nearby gardens around Baltimore Harbor.
Escorting these oysters on the final leg of their journey are volutneers who make the monumental task of relocating hundred of thousands of oysters to FortCarroll possible. They start by transferring oysters from their cages onto historic vessels, such as skipjacks and buyboats, which once contributed to overharvesting but now serve conservation efforts. Once the boats arrive at the Fort Carroll sanctuary, volunteers offload the oysters overboard, seeding the reefs below to their new underwater home among millions of their fellow oysters!
Scientists from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation conduct routine monitoring of the reef, and encouragingly, they have observed that oyster spat are surviving and even beginning to repopulate. This collaborative effort aims not only to restore the historic natural populations of oysters but also to enhance the overall health of the harbor for both human enjoyment and wildlife habitat.
