The Oyster Is our World”

And if you live on or near The Chesapeake Bay and it’s tributaries you’re about to find out just how important the diminutive oyster really is to your world. You may even find yourself taking Oyster King Inc.’s motto as your own.

Oyster King Inc., has joined the fight to clean up Chesapeake Bay and it’s connected waterways. The battle to restore the Bay to it’s former glory was first waged thirty eight plus years ago, and continues to be driven by this dynamic visionary to this day.

What’s so important about cleaning The Chesapeake Bay?

To get the big picture you have to first understand that The Chesapeake Bay is essential and accessible inland sea, and that is the nursery for an enormous range of species - seabirds, migratory birds, amphibians, crustaceans, and an incredible array of fish - a who’s who of creatures in the Northern Hemisphere. The future of all these creatures are threatened because The Chesapeake Bay is ill and signs of improvement are both mixed and dubious. The main reason for the Bay’s failing health is that it’s filtration system has broken down. Imagine turning the filtration system off your in-ground swimming pool or pond and going away for a month. How inviting would your pool be when you returned? The water would be dark and murky, with mold, mildew, black & green algae, and scum gathering around the edges. Imagine drinking that water.

Now imagine the condition of The Bay with a filtration system that has been in decline for decades.

The oyster is the Bay’s filtration system. The oyster is a bi-valve filter feeder.

Fifty years ago the oyster reefs of the Chesapeake Bay filtered the entire body of water in one to three days. There were hundreds of millions of them. The fisheries thrived. Watermen accumulated considerable wealth. Today, there just aren’t enough oysters to keep the Bay clean. Watermen are moonlighting, pumping gas and doing odd jobs to make ends meet. Ironically it’s invasive fishing practices such as dragging and dredging the reefs that has contributed to the present ecological imbalance.

One way to rebuild The Chesapeake Bay is to rebuild the oyster population.

The oyster is as important to the life of the bay as plankton is to life on earth, plankton is where half the WORLDS oxygen comes from. The oyster filters CO2 increasing those oxygen levels, which makes the oyster an important critter for the health of the bay.

Oyster King 1 Inc., brings new technology and an action plan that calls for participation by government, industry and the public at large.

Company Chairman and Founder Andrew Murdza has invented and patented a device that he calls a “Floating Oyster Hotel”. This unique growth cage suspends a large tray of oyster spat (baby oysters able to attach themselves) within the top three feet of water. The top waters have higher oxygen levels and are loaded with the nutrients that oysters need. Oysters held in this position grow bigger and faster than they do in nature. In fact, oysters grown in this way are mature enough in just nine months to be dropped to the oyster reefs at the bottom of the bay. These oyster reefs will, in turn, single-handedly restore the Bay’s health.

When Oysters rule

Restoring the Chesapeake Bay will have a profound impact on the Maryland economy. We can expect to see re-establishment of the fisheries and establishment of sustainable fisheries. Responding to a healthy environment the food chain will regain it’s natural balance and there will again be an abundance of fresh healthy food-fish like bass, rock fish, scup, shad, blue crab and a host of other delicacies.

Tourism involving sports and recreational activities such as swimming, boating and fishing represents tens of billions of dollars annually.

So what’s the program?

Here’s Oyster Kings three-phase initiative:

The Dock Of The Bay

Everyone with waterfront property on The Chesapeake Bay and connected waterways can play an important part in this initiative by placing a Floating Oyster Hotel under their dock, jetty or pier. The price of participation is $500 for which $500 tax credit has been specifically legislated and provided for one the 502 Maryland Income Tax form. Without the support of our state leaders this part of the program would not be possible. Oyster King technicians will visit all “Hotel” sites four times a year to ensure the healthy development of spat until oysters mature enough to drop to the all-important reefs.

Oyster Acres

This initiative is essentially the same as the Dock Of The Bay with the main difference being that is aimed at the concerned citizens who do not have waterfront property and desire to be apart of our reef-building program. Floating Oyster Hotels will be anchored in non-navigable waters, and be managed and maintained by Oyster King Inc.’s technicians.

Open Waters

Oyster King Inc. will be approaching corporations, large and small, interested in sponsoring large tracts of non-navigable waters for the purpose of cultivating young oysters earmarked specifically for reef building.

At this juncture all of Oyster King Inc.’s initiatives are aimed at reef building. With the oyster reefs rebuilt, Chesapeake Bay will once again be able to sustain itself and it’s natural balance.

Obviously the Floating Oyster Hotel promises to play an integral part in building a vibrant commercial oyster fishery. Aquaculture and fish faming are the way of the future. For the moment, we have to put the oyster back in charge.

Please join us in this important undertaking by making the Oyster You World.