Lore Oysters - Solomons Island Heritage Tours, Lore Oysters, Patuxent River Seafood

Born on Date: July 1

7/16/2024

After each set of oyster larvae, we hold about 20 shells back from going out in the river. We place the shell in a milk crate and hang them over the wall at the J.C. Lore Oyster House. This lets us keep an eye on their growth. These oysters were first put in our tanks on July 1. They were moved to our lease on July 9th. Today, at 19 days old, this sample is looking like oysters! More oysters in the Patuxent means cleaner water and local seafood. Two wins!!

When we checked on this round of oysters, we found someone had moved in with his girlfriend! Look closely, this male blue crab is holding a female crab. He tucked himself into a corner of our milkcrate and made checking the progress of our oysters a little dicey. He did not want to be evicted! More oysters in the river means more habitat for our aquatic friends.

Lease Markers

7/14/2024

Our lease markers are constructed of air filled PVC pipe. Each marker has the lease number, SM 824, and our phone number clearly visible. The Department of Natural Resources requires the four corners of the lease be marked. Our markers are designed to be flexible if a boater mistakenly hits one. They are marked with red and white reflective tape. The PVC markers are connected to weights with cable and include firehose chaffing gear to help deal with the elements. If one of our lease markers should go rouge, please contact us direct, and we will fetch it ASAP.

Tank Cleaning & Reloading Day

7/10/2024

There was nothing glamourous about the work that had to be done today. After removing the spat on shell from the tanks, the tanks had to be power washed and scrubbed. Biofouling could prevent our next set of larvae from being successful.

Deployment Day

7/9/2024

Deployment day! Today was the day. 2 million oyster larvae were placed on the bottom just north of the Solomons bridge. We spent the morning diving to ground truth the most suitable habitat. Then, we removed the cages of shell from the tanks and transported the oysters to the lease. The oysters will grow and filter water until they are large enough to harvest. We hope to start the process over again by the end of the week.

Counting Baby Oysters (Spat)

7/6/2024

We spent some time today at the J.C. Lore Oyster House Counting spat and sharing our story with others. To see the spat, we use a macro lens on a cell phone camera. The spat are almost too small to see with the naked eye, but an experienced eye knows what to look for. Lucky for us we have some great people helping us along the way!

Larvae Day at the Lore Oyster House

7/1/2024

The wait is over! We purchased larvae (almost oysters) today. We traveled to Ferry Cove Shellfish in Tilghman, Maryland and picked up 2 million larvae. We had a few hiccups preparing for the larvae—we will call it a learning curve. First, low salinity prevented the hatcheries from starting the spawning season. Then, our air pump was not keeping up with the back pressure of the water, and we had to make sure all the shell was underwater, but we are confident that we are giving the larvae a good chance at survival. Our salinity and temperature are right. Now we will wait and see if the larvae attaches to the shell.

Once the bundle is unwrapped, you can start to see they really are individuals.

You can't help but try to see them swimming.

Individual swimmers under the macro lens.

Dad's glasses helped her see the larvae better.

A last swish of the bucket to release the stragglers.

Shell Recovery on the Roughwater

6/13/2024

We spent quite a bit of time this month preparing our lease for shell and spat on shell. Over time, oyster shell is covered by sediment. This is problematic because baby oysters (spat) need clean shell to set on. Shell is also important because it helps to keep newly planted oysters from sinking into the bottom. To combat sediment on our lease, we dredged the bottom. Using a modified dredge, we pulled shell out of the bottom and created a base for future plantings. We used a GPS to monitor our progress and overlay it with the substrate survey ORP conducted on our lease.

Lore Oyster House Grand Re-Opening

6/11/2024

The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the J.C. Lore Oyster House and the 125th birthday of the Wm. B. Tennison was held and well attended. Visitors had the opportunity to learn about the history of the shucking house and historic bugeye. They also had the opportunity to hear Dr. Ralph Eshelman tell how both came to be listed on the National Register of Historical Places. We were onsite to explain to visitors the remote oyster setting process.

Surveying the Oyster Grounds

6/11/2024

The Oyster Recovery Partnership conducted surveys of our oyster grounds. Using state of the art technology, ORP determined what shell was on the lease and which areas are ripe for planting. Oysters do well in hard, stable bottoms that ensure the oysters do not sink into the mud or sand. ORP also provided Patuxent River Seafood with a tracker to map where we recover shell and plant shell and oyster spat.

Oyster Shell for Substrate

6/10/2024

Inside the tanks, coated wire cages are used to contain oyster shell. We bent and assembled the cages. The shell used in the setting process must be aged, clean shell. This prevents organic material from polluting the water in the tank. The shell is loaded into the cages with a tractor, transported to the site by boat so we don’t disturb the historical site, and lowered into the tanks.

Open to the Public

6/8/2024

On June 8, we finished up the tank installation and we were happy to welcome the first visitors to our tanks.

Frequently asked questions:
Where do you purchase the oyster larvae?
There are multiple hatcheries around the state including Ferry Cove and Horns Point.

How long do the oysters stay in the tank?
After introducing the larvae, oysters will stay in the tank approximately two weeks.

Where will you move the oysters to?
We have a 25 acre lease in the Patuxent River just North of the Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge.

Plumbing the Air and Water

6/7/2024

Setting tanks require waterflow and aeration. An air pump supplies air to the tanks and a sump pump pushes water into the tanks. We even built a cage around the pump to make sure we do not get jellyfish sucked into the tank.

June 10th, 2024

6/1/2024

In an effort to keep our promise of a living museum, we thought about how we would go public with our partnership. We needed a name. A lasting legacy of the oyster house is the iconic shipping cans they used. We designed a name and logo that would give a head nod to the original owners of the oyster house and their shipping can.

But we had a new deadline—the grand opening of the J.C. Lore Oyster House and celebration of the 125 year old Wm. B. Tennison was set for June 11.

Nursery Permit & Setting Tanks

5/31/2024

Up next was a nursery permit. The Department of Natural Resources requires a nursery permit to use setting tanks. The permit requires the site have a schematic and discharge plan and be available for inspections. We waited patiently. After approval. it was time to purchase tanks.

We hit a snag. Polyethylene tanks can take up to 10 weeks to manufacture and we had a hard deadline. We got to work. After many years in the commercial fishing industry, knowledge of fiberglass came in handy. Using a foam core, we constructed two 8x4 prototype tanks. We had clear guidelines to make sure the deck area at the J.C. Lore Oyster House was still wheelchair accessible and did not hinder the docking of the historical vessel, W.B. Tennison. We built and plumbed the tanks to specs.

Calvert Marine Museum & Patuxent River Seafood Partnership

4/9/2024

The historical J.C. Lore & Sons Oyster House is operated by the Calvert Marine Museum and is the first building visitors see when driving onto Solomons Island. Unfortunately the oyster house is succumbing to sea level rise and the oyster shell under the shucking house is settling and making it difficult to stabilize. Nonetheless, the museum is making every effort to open the historic property to the public by scheduling visiting hours at low tide. Visitors can see the historic building as it was prior to closing in 1978. The J.C. Lore Oyster House shucked, washed, and packed oysters. The shucked shell was returned or planted on oyster grounds in the Patuxent River to serve as the home for future generations of oysters. The story is coming full circle in 2024.

In a partnership with the Calvert Marine Museum, Patuxent River Seafood is going to set larvae on the dock behind the oyster house and then plant the baby oysters on oyster grounds in the Patuxent River. The oyster larvae will be purchased at one of three oyster hatcheries around the state. Visitors to the Lore Oyster House will be able to view the tanks and learn about the oyster planting process. See the Oyster House schedule here. www.calvertmarinemuseum.com/191/Lore-Oyster-House

When setting oyster larvae on shell in tanks, oyster growers must first find a suitable location. During the setting process, oysters need 7-10 days of water flow. The water flow adds oxygen to the water and provides the growing oysters with needed food. The Narrows, located behind the oyster house and on the backside of Solomons Island, provides a strong water-flow because of the narrow tide box that separates Solomons Island from the mainland. After pitching a prop0sal to staff at the Calvert Marine Museum, we were happy they saw the possibilities of creating a living museum!

Oyster Lease SM 824

3/13/2024

In 2023 the Patuxent River had a record breaking spatfall for oysters. To aid in the resurgence of oysters, Patuxent River Seafood is planting 25 acres in the Patuxent River. The plan is to jumpstart the area by recovering silted shell, adding shell, and planting oysters. The oysters will serve ecological functions including filtering nitrogen and phosphorus until they are marketable.

Oyster lease SM 824 is located in the Patuxent River just North of the Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge.

In 2023 the Patuxent River had a record breaking spatfall for oysters. To aid in the resurgence of oysters, Patuxent River Seafood is planting 25 acres in the Patuxent River. The plan is to jumpstart the area by recovering silted shell, adding shell, and planting oysters. The oysters will serve ecological functions including filtering nitrogen and phosphorus until they are marketable.

Author

Rachel Dean
Owner, Operator

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