The Chesapeake Bay has lost more than 99% of its oyster reefs compared to historic levels. That’s a problem, because one adult oyster filters up to 50 gallons of water a day, and those reefs give fish and crabs a place to live. So a group of unlikely heroes stepped up: a photographer, his neighbors, and a fleet of robots.
John Consoli, a University of Maryland photographer, started growing oysters off his pier on Kent Island. He got so into it that he recruited around 80 neighbors into what’s now called the Peer to Pier Network. The group recently helped a local restaurant install a million baby oysters.“I think I’m more enthusiastic about something that’s like a rock than anybody else could possibly be,”Consoli said. Someone even dubbed him the Pied Piper of oysters.
On the tech side, mechanical engineer Miao Yu and her students are building robots including the raft-like Oysterbot and an underwater vehicle that use sonar and AI to map oyster beds and guide planting and harvesting. Oyster farming has grown in recent years, but wild populations remain a fraction of historic numbers. Would you grow oysters off your pier if a neighbor asked you to join in?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.