Welcome!
You have found the home page of the Massachusetts Oyster Project. We are working on an exciting project to return Massachusetts marine estuaries to their historic natures through the restoration of once native oysters. Through the placement, we can improve water quality, as well as attract other sea life including crabs, eelgrass, shrimp bluefish and striped bass. Please use the links at the left to learn more.
In October of 2008, we placed 150,000 oysters in Boston Harbor at the mouth of the Charles River in an exciting day that included James Hunt, Boston's Chief of Environmental and Energy Services. With close to 100 people in the crowd and intense media coverage, we watched children spread the oysters and begin the exciting initiative. Our volunteer dive team followed up on the oysters on May 2, 2009 and reported that 50% had survived the winter. According to growers we consulted, this is a healthy survival rate. Importantly, the attrition is likely to drop dramatically as the oysters grow larger. A recent dive indicated that mortality was up again, due to silt. We have identified another site close by that has a stony-gravel sea bottom.
In October 2009, We placed another 50,000 oysters in the previously explored areas and with the help of over 20 volunteers measured many of the oysters. About 10,000 of those oysters were in specially designed and constructed frames to facilitate measuring survival and growth.
In December 2010 we began a very small pilot initiative at Dorchester Yacht Club in Malibu Bay South of Boston. This area can have very high pollution counts due to surface run-off. This project was initiated with the assistance of UMass Boston who is working with us on this site. Professor Anamarija Frankic also runs the Green Boston Harbor Project.
We are rapidly assuming the form of a more scientific organization. We presented both orally and a poster at the 2009 Coastal Zone Meeting sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. We also presented at the 2009 Coastal Environmental Sensing Networks conference. We have submitted additional abstracts for presentation in 2010.
We have established a blog so that you can more easily get updates.
In short keeping up the Blog is much easier than updating the website. And with news happening on a weekly basis this seems like a better way to go.
You can support MOP without writing a check by using our affinity credit card!
With Capital One we have set up the MassOysterCard. If you use it once, they donate $50 to MOP. And 1% of all your purchases go to MOP. It is a painless way to give.
Key Friends of MOP
We receive grant support from the New England Grass Roots Environmental Fund's Boston Grants Initiative. Not only do they supply grant support, but also they hold helpful retreats for non-profits. This group provides much more than funding.
Shuck Off is a Charlestown based organization that sells T-shirts and other apparel with their catchy phrase and logo. They organized and held a terrific event at Tavern on the Water. Tavern On The Water
In addition to the Charlestown Waterfront Coalition, special "thank you"s go out to four groups- Foley Hoag who has handled all our 501-c-3 work to become an incorporated non-profit...
The Constitution Marina who was being incredibly helpful with the placement event and ongoing support.
The team at Island Creek Oysters who are supplying the seed oysters and just about every name restaurant with their adult oysters for consumption.
The team at the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries. This organization has provided enormous assistance to us as we worked through the permitting and placement process. Their advice and counsel has been enormously valuable.
We also thank the Charlestown Residence Inn by Marriott for supporting our 2008 fundraising raffle. This is a great hotel.
The Newengland Aquarium Dive Club (NEADC) has a very active membership of local divers who care deeply about water quality in Massachusetts and all over the globe!
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