State sets new record for oyster restoration

Maryland has once again set a new record for oyster restoration in the Chesapeake Bay.

Nearly 750 million baby oysters - called spat - were created in a hatchery and placed in the rivers that feed the bay. The count bested last year's record of 600 million.

Most of those oysters were dumped directly onto oyster reefs. Some where coated onto "reef balls," which are holey domes made of concrete. Others were sent to volunteer oyster gardeners, who grow them under their piers before planting them on reefs.

"This record planting - along with record involvement by citizen stewards in oyster restoration -...