| Name Our Mascot - LAST CHANCE! |
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 The Oyster Recovery Partnership is working on naming our new Oyster Mascot and his mud crab sidekick....LAST CHANCE to send any suggestions on names for either character. Enter names on our ORP Fan Page.
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| Find us on Facebook |
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 Visit our ORP Fan Page today! Send any content ideas to the Fan Page administrator.
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| Outreach Events |
April 24, 2010
10 am - 4 pm
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| Meet Our Board Members |
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Jim Perdue
President, Perdue Farms, Inc.
As Chairman and CEO of Perdue Farms, Jim heads the company's executive team and is responsible for developing the company's vision and growth strategies. Jim grew up in the family poultry business, but left after high school to attend college to pursue his interests in biology. He received his undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University and his master's degree in marine biology from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth doing growth rate research on the Malaysian prawn.
In 1983, Jim earned a doctorate in fisheries from the University of Washington in Seattle where he studied survival of the Japanese oyster (C.gigas) to summer mortality through genetic selection. He then returned to the family business and in 1989, Jim earned his MBA from Salisbury State University, becoming Chairman and CEO at Perdue Farms, Inc. in 1991.
Jim has been an active Board member of the Oyster Recovery Partnership since 2003.
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Clean it Up! |
 Every year, tens of thousands of bushels of oyster shells are transported to the UMCES Horn Point Laboratory in Cambridge by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Shells are aged for one to two years and then they are thoroughly washed to remove any dirt and organic matter before they are loaded into setting tanks where the disease-free oyster larvae are added and attach themselves to the clean shell. The resulting shells are then transported onboard the Robert E. Lee planting vessel for planting on pre-selected and prepared oyster bars around the Bay. |
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About the Oyster Recovery Partnership |
The Oyster Recovery Partnership is a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring the ecologic and economic benefits of the Chesapeake Bay. Created in 1994, the ORP actively works with a dozen diverse stakeholder groups to rehabilitate historic and relic oyster bars by producing and planting disease-free oyster seed. This unique partnership has become one of the largest groups actively restoring oysters in the Chesapeake Bay. | |
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| Oyster Recovery Partnership Teams Up for Bay Clean-up |
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 Over 4,000 Ghost Pots Pulled From Bay Waters
In February and March 2010, qualified watermen were offered five consecutive days of Derelict Gear Retrieval work within each of the following locations: the mouth of the West, Rhode and South Rivers; the mouth of the Chester, Little Choptank, Patuxent, Patapsco, Big Annemessex, and the Little Annemessex Rivers; and the Upper Tangier Sound.
Side-scan sonar surveys conducted by the Maryland Geological Survey and the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office were used to identify locations with the highest concentration of derelict (ghost) pots on the Bay bottom. Watermen can then be directed to those areas where the clean-up is most needed. Watermen are being asked to collect data from each work day and the data is being compiled by Versar, Inc. This information will include trap type (crab, peeler, eel, frame only, etc.), how many traps were collected, their condition, and any ByCatch (crabs, shellfish and/or fish) found. So far, very few marine life were found in the pots. A majority of the pots are being recycled.
Oyster Bar RehabilitationIn preparation for hatchery seed planting in 2010, the Oyster Bar Rehabilitation Program is expected to begin in March and likely last through May 2010. Currently, the Maryland Geological Survey and NOAA are mapping bottom areas to better understand their condition and determine an effective rehabilitation strategy. Once these areas are finalized, watermen will be notified of their selection to the program. Together, we can make a difference. We look forward to seeing you on the Bay. Stephan Abel, Executive Director
Oyster Recovery Partnership |
| Ask a Scientist |
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 Q: How many oysters can grow on a single recycled oyster shell?
A: Hundreds of oysters can grow on a single shell initially. But because of competition for space and other resources such as food, as well as predation, this number is usually reduced greatly. Over the past few years our monitoring of hatchery produced oysters has shown that there are on average 5-7 adult oysters per "mother" shell.
Steven Allen, MSc, Senior Manager, Aquatic Restoration & Scientific Diver
Oyster Recovery Partnership |
| Sprint for Spat at Earth Day 5k |
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Please leave your legacy on our Chesapeake Bay! Funds raised for this "Sprint for Spat" Earth Day 5K Race will help The Nature Conservancy and the Oyster Recovery Partnership plant 5 million baby oysters on an oyster sanctuary in Maryland waters. |
| Local Artist Tom Freeman Supports Oysters |
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Maryland Life Magazine has featured painter Tom Freeman who has painted a series of classic Chesapeake Bay scenes. These limited-edition prints are available for purchase; half of the proceeds from these prints will go to the Oyster Recovery Partnership to assist us with our oyster restoration efforts. |
| Partner Profile |
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 Protecting and Restoring the Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) fights for bold and creative solutions to the pollution that plagues the Bay and its tributaries. Across the six-state Chesapeake watershed, CBF sets the agenda, serves as a watchdog, and speaks out on behalf of the Chesapeake Bay to business, government, and the public. CBF fights for strong and effective laws and regulations and works cooperatively with government, business, and citizens in partnerships to protect and restore the Bay. |
| Out & About |
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Smith Island is Maryland's only inhabited off-shore island in the Chesapeake Bay. British settlers from Wales and Cornwall arrived on the island in the 1600s. Since then, watermen and their families have built a hardy fishing community.
Visitors can only access Smith Island by boat. Passenger-only ferries connect Smith Island at Ewell to Point Lookout, Maryland, to the west, and Crisfield, Maryland, to the east.
Residents are proud to claim the official dessert of the state of Maryland, the Smith Island Cake. The locally-produced cake features 8 to 15 thin layers filled with creme, frosting and/or crushed candy bars. The cake is iced with a cooked chocolate icing. Other flavors include yellow cake with chocolate icing, coconut, fig, strawberry, lemon, and orange.
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| Did You Know? |
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Approximately how many bushels of oysters were harvested in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay in the year 2000?
a. 180,000 b. 380,000 c. 980,000 d. 1,580,000
Answer from last issue's question: Approximately how many bushels of oysters were harvested in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay in 1980? c. 2,000,000. This statistic was extracted from the document: A Brief History of Oyster Population Surveys in Maryland Including a Summary of the 2002 Survey Results By: Mitchell Tarnowski Maryland DNR, Shellfish Program; "Maryland's Total Oyster Landings In Bushels by Harvest Year" Annual (Harvest/Seasonal Year) Commercial Total Oyster (Bushels) Landings. As stated on the document: Data represents Maryland's commerical harvest (Chesapeake Bay and ocean combined) by harvest (seasonal) year (fall and winter). |
| Oyster Recipe |
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Grilled Blue Point* Oysters
(Serves 4 people)
Melted Leeks, Tarragon Crème Fraiche and American Caviar
Ingredients:
12 ea. Blue Point Oysters*, cleaned
2 ea. leeks, stalks, julienne, white part only
½ Lb. unsalted butter
1 tsp. truffle salt
1 tsp. truffle oil
1 bu. chives, chopped
¼ cup crème fraiche (sour cream can be substituted)
1 bu. tarragon, chopped
1 Tbsp. Pernod
1 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. truffle salt
1 oz. American caviar
Method of Preparation:
1. In a small sauté pot at medium heat, combine the julienne leeks, butter, truffle salt and truffle oil.
2. Once the butter has melted completely, lower the temperature to low and continue cooking - stirring occasionally.
3. Remove from the heat once the leeks are tender. Let cool down a bit before straining the remaining butter.
4. In a mixing bowl, combine the crème fraiche, chopped tarragon, Pernod, white pepper and truffle salt. Reserve for service.
5. Place the oysters on a grill, cup up, and grill until they pop open.
6. Once open, remove the top part of the shell. Loosen the oyster from the muscle.
7. Top the oyster with the leek mixture.
8. Top with crème fraiche and then the caviar.
9. Garnish with a sprig of tarragon.
10. Serve the oysters warm.
Josean Rosado
Executive Chef, Intercontinental Harbor Court Baltimore
* Editor's note: Chesapeake Bay oysters can be substituted for Blue Point oysters, which are typically found in the Long Island Sound.
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