A new report, released in April by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, finds that oyster aquaculture operations in Maryland contribute an average of $9 million per year to the state’s economy, and that the industry overall has grown by approximately 24% per year since 2012.

The industry is an important economic contributor, however experts fear that continued growth is threatened due to the Corona virus pandemic.  Aquaculture producers face significant challenges as nearly 70% of all seafood is consumed at restaurants, the majority of which have had to modify or close their business operations to help efforts to contain the the spread of the virus.  Read more here…