A celebration of Maryland oysters featuring deals and discounts!
ANNAPOLIS, MD – The Maryland Department of Agriculture’s Maryland’s Best program, in partnership with the Oyster Recovery Partnership (ORP), is announcing Chesapeake Oyster Week, running from March 21-31. Seafood lovers can rejoice and get involved during this delicious week by frequenting their favorite shell-recycling restaurants throughout the region in support of its mission to restore the Chesapeake Bay and its native oyster populations.
“We are excited to have a Chesapeake Oyster Week that specifically focuses on Maryland oysters,” said Maryland Department of Agriculture Secretary Kevin Atticks. “In addition to being a great source of protein, eating oysters at restaurants that recycle shells, also helps plant more new oysters in the Bay providing a sustainable cycle for seafood.”
ORP relies on Shell Recycling Alliance member restaurants to provide shells critical for Chesapeake Bay oyster restoration efforts. Eating and recycling oyster shells leads to more oysters returned to the Bay, home of many delicious species. Patrons can show appreciation to Bay-friendly businesses by dining at shell recycling restaurants all throughout Chesapeake Oyster Week.
“Chesapeake Oyster Week comes at the perfect time—right in the heart of Maryland’s wild-caught oyster season—when our waters produce some of the finest oysters in the country,” said Paul Schurick, Director of ORP Partnerships. “Whether wild-harvested by watermen or grown by aquaculture farmers, Maryland oysters are a vital part of the Bay’s ecosystem and economy. Choosing to eat local oysters at shell-recycling restaurants is a simple way for people to support these industries while also helping to restore the Bay—one shuck at a time.”
Founded in 1994, Oyster Recovery Partnership is an Annapolis-based, nonprofit. Through the support of major partners, ORP has planted 13.1 billion oysters on 3,000+ acres of reef. They are also the home to the Shell Recycling Alliance, the nation’s largest shell recycling network, annually recycling around 30,000 bushels of oyster shells from a network of 200 restaurants and 70 public drop sites in the Mid-Atlantic.
More than 50 local Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. restaurants will be participating. Patrons are encouraged to visit the Chesapeake Oyster Week webpage to see all participating businesses and the promotions they will be offering. Restaurants that still want to participate can do so by contacting Kaylee Fleury at kfleury@oysterrecovery.com.
For more information about Chesapeake Oyster Week, please contact Maryland’s Best Director of Special Projects Kristin Hanna at Kristin.hanna@maryland.gov.
