The Chesapeake Bay Program is on track to meet its 2025 goal of restoring oyster reefs in 10 tributaries – a target set in the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.

According to the CBP, more than 2,294 acres of oyster reefs have been restored to date. That's an area larger than 1,340 football fields.

Maryland's tributaries included in the oyster restoration effort are in Harris Creek, the Little Choptank River, Tred Avon River, Upper St. Mary's River, and the Manokin River.

Maryland is completing restoration work in the Manokin River, while Virginia has completed restorations in its five tributaries, plus an additional tributary.

Why oyster reef restoration matters

Oysters play a vital ecological role in the Chesapeake Bay.

"Oysters are ecologically valuable as filter feeders that help clean the waters of the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries by pumping water through their gills and trapping food particles, nitrogen, phosphorus, sediment and chemical contaminants," the CBP said.

An adult oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day, according to the CBP.

In addition to improving water quality, oyster reefs provide a critical habitat for small fish, worms and other organisms that serve as prey species.

Fish and other marine animals rely on the complex environments oyster reefs create, according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Restored reefs also benefit Maryland's seafood industry, which contributes about $600 million annually to the state's economy.

Oyster population more than triples

Maryland's oyster population has more than tripled in the past 20 years, according to data released Monday by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.

The latest stock assessment estimates that more than 12 billion oysters now live in Maryland's portion of the Chesapeake Bay.