How do you restore 377 acres of oysters in a Chesapeake Bay tributary? A new Chesapeake Bay Program video features glimpses into many parts of the complex process under way in Harris Creek —the first tributary-wide oyster restoration effort in the Chesapeake Bay.

The video is a fast-paced glimpse into the multiagency effort: From mapping the bottom on Harris Creek and analyzing existing and potential oyster habitat, to determining where reefs could be constructed or replenished, to producing oyster spat-on-shell in an oyster hatchery, to construction of reefs using hard substrate, to growing oyster larvae, to planting reefs with spat-on-shell, to monitoring the project to track its progress.

NOAA science and expertise are highlighted, as NOAA oyster specialist Stephanie Westby and NOAA hydrographer Jay Lazar explain the goals of the project and how NOAA mapping and analysis products are critical for success.

Project partners from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s Horn Point Oyster Hatchery, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Baltimore District are also featured.