Maryland Shellfish Aquaculture Industry: 2024 at a Glance (FS-2026-0813)

The 2024 Maryland oyster aquaculture harvest was its lowest since 2021, when the industry was still rebounding from COVID losses. The 2024 harvest registered 81,403 bushels of oysters (Crassostrea virginica), with 59,363 bushels harvested from submerged land leases and 22,040 bushels from water-column lease types (Figure 1). MDNR uses a conversion factor of 300 single oysters per bushel. Submerged land lease oysters are grown on and harvested directly from suitably prepared bottom, while those grown on water-column leases are single animals placed in containerized gear (e.g., baskets, cages, bags, etc.), most commonly in cages that rest on the bottom or are suspended beneath surface floats. The 2024 farm-raised oyster harvest saw a decrease of 12,883 bushels compared to 2023, and the 2024 harvest totals reported from both submerged land leases and water column leases were at their lowest since 2020 (Figure 1). The bulk of harvest from submerged land leases typically occurs from April 1 to September 30 when leaseholders can take advantage of higher prices and avoid competition with the wild oyster fishery harvest during public harvest months, while the water-column harvest is relatively consistent throughout the year (Figures 2 & 3). It should be noted the 5-year average lines in Figures 2 & 3 were influenced by market closures in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic when farms were unable to sell product, and therefore reduced harvests.

The decreased harvest from leases in 2024 contributed to the lowest dockside value for farmed oysters since 2020. In 2024, the estimated dockside value of aquaculture oysters in Maryland was $5,944,461. This is a decrease of over $1.4 million compared to the 2023 estimated dockside value (Figure 4), driven by lower harvests and lower average costs for both single oysters and those sold as bushels (Maryland Department of Natural Resources, 2025). Based on information in van Senten et al. (2020), the estimated economic impact of the oyster aquaculture industry to the state of Maryland was $11,516,932.

Aquaculture operations in Maryland sell oysters by the bushel or individually as single oysters (singles) to a variety of markets which may range from wholesalers to direct-to-consumer sales, each with different prices that can fluctuate by product and/or by season. The average price for Maryland oysters sold by the bushel remained steady at $55 per bushel from 2017-2021, increased to approximately $62 in 2022, and increased again to $63.85 in 2023. In 2024, the average price per bushel decreased to $61.58. The average price per Maryland oyster sold as singles was $0.40 per oyster in 2017 and 2018, then increased to $0.50 per oyster in 2019 where it remained through 2021. The average price of singles in 2022 and 2023 was approximately $0.47 per oyster but decreased in 2024 to $0.40 per oyster. Annual price averages were also adjusted for inflation using the Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI Inflation Calculator and are shown in 2026 dollars. Note that average dockside prices are calculated via self-reported wholesale and retail real price averages, standardized by sales volume, from annual surveys returned to the MDNR (Table 1).

As with previous years, the total value of oysters sold to bushel markets in Maryland in 2024 was higher than the total value sold as singles. Annual values were also adjusted for inflation using the Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI Inflation Calculator and are shown in 2026 dollars (Figure 4). The authors of this publication used the economic ratios published in van Senten et al. (2020) to estimate the total economic impact of the oyster aquaculture industry on Maryland to be approximately $11.5 million in 2024.

Unique grower financing programs continue to play an important role in supporting the growth of the shellfish aquaculture industry in Maryland. Since its inception in 2010, the Maryland Agricultural Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation (MARBIDCO) has approved loans totaling nearly $6 million through the Maryland Shellfish Aquaculture Financing Fund (MSAFF) and the Maryland Shellfish Remote Setting Loan Fund (MSRSLF). MARBIDCO’s shellfish loan program features interest-only payment periods and principal forgiveness if certain conditions are met. In CY 2024, MARBIDCO approved two loan applications totaling $150,000 for the MSAFF (MARBIDCO, 2024).

At the end of 2024, there were 474 shellfish leases comprising 7,710.4 acres of Maryland waterways. Submerged land leases accounted for 7,158.4 acres on 375 sites, while 99 water-column leases covered 552 acres (Figures 5 & 6) (Maryland Department of Natural Resources, 2024). This is an increase of overall lease acreage but on fewer total lease areas as compared to the end of 2023, which ended with 478 shellfish leases on 7,579 acres (Maryland Department of Natural Resources, 2024). During the calendar year 2024, the MDNR received 16 new commercial shellfish lease applications and issued 14 new leases. At the end of 2024, 83 lease applications were in process by MDNR (Maryland Department of Natural Resources, 2025). In many instances, an individual or business entity may hold more than one lease while operating as a single entity. In other cases, leases may be held in the names of distinct individuals but operate as a single business or partnership. The MDNR collects data on each lease through mandatory annual reporting to ensure “active use” in accordance with state statute. While MDNR does not formally collect data for the total number of aquaculture businesses, the number of distinct leaseholders has hovered between 165 and 175 since 2017. The number of distinct leaseholders can be used as a proxy to estimate the number of aquaculture businesses in Maryland.

Maryland shellfish leases were located in 11 counties in 2024 (Figure 7) (Maryland Department of Natural Resources, 2024). There is no regulated minimum or maximum shellfish aquaculture lease size in Maryland. Therefore, leases range in size from less than one acre to several hundred acres. In Maryland, water-column leases are generally smaller than submerged land leases; the average water-column lease size was 5.67 acres (range: 0.12 - 39.6 acres), as compared to the average submerged land lease size of 19.13 acres (range: 0.08 - 310.7 acres) in 2024.

Shellfish nursery operations in Maryland are comprised of both hatchery facilities and in-water or land-based nursery facilities. The latter most typically includes some combination of tanks used seasonally for remote setting larvae, and/or seed husbandry in upwellers, downwellers or floating containers of various styles. Shellfish nursery activities may be authorized under either a shellfish aquaculture lease or a Shellfish Nursery Permit, depending on nursery type, size and location. Leases or facilities established for nursery-only production are limited to cultivating shellfish seed up to a maximum size of one inch as measured from hinge to bill, at which point the product must be relocated to an alternate permitted location. Shellfish nursery permits issued by MDNR are non-transferrable and have a five-year renewable term. In 2024, the Department issued nine new shellfish nursery permits; a total of 69 nursery facilities were permitted for at least some portion of the year, in addition to eight leases that were designated for nursery-only production (MDNR, 2025).