More than 110,000 oysters were planted in Virginia last year – that’s why it matters – cooling

Through a unique foster parents program, led by the Chesapik Bay Foundation, volunteers in Virginia gathered over 110,000 oysters in 2024, carrying a new life on local waterways, News Virgin reports.

The program turns community members into oyster gardeners after a regular training seminar. Participants have nourished baby oysters for about a year before returning them to shrines, using wire cells attached to ports, quays and ports.

These small but powerful mussels pack a powerful blow to coastal protection. A single oyster for adults filters up to 50 gallons of water a day, eliminating sludge and algae. This improved clarity of water allows the vital vegetation of the bay to thrive in sunlight. Strists also create rich in nutrients that maintain the growth of underwater plants.

For areas facing rising seas, such as Hampton roads, oyster reefs offer natural armor against erosion on the shore. Reefs also protect habitats that capture and store carbon, making them silent characters in the construction of coastal resistance.

The impact spreads far beyond individual gardens. 110,000 oysters grown in 2024 will filter over 5 million gallons of water a day after they are fully grown. They join more than 6 billion oysters, added to Chesapike Bay from 2017 through the Oyster Chesapeake Alliance, which hopes to reach 10 billion by 2025.

“There is nothing like the relationship between these baby oysters and their foster parents,” says Jessica Lutuu, a oyster restoration specialist in Virginia. “Dedication and love are necessary for growing these oysters, from cleaning cells to sending them to live in sanctuaries is nothing special.”

The human connection makes this story of success particularly meaningful. Now 64 families and organizations are prone to oysters in public access points, creating a community of specialized viewers.

For Claire Neubert, who grows oysters at the Hampton port, the experience is transformative. “I live in an urban environment and it is incredible to find that these babies are thriving, given all the challenges they face,” she said. “At the end of the day, this is really about who grows who.”

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