The Chesapeake Bay Foundation says a new federal grant will help it restore native oyster habitat in the Hampton River.
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation announced a total of nearly $24 million in awards this week to boost habitat and water quality in the massive Chesapeake Bay watershed.
That includes $150,000 for Virginia Tech to help the Nansemond Indian Nation develop a community resilience plan.
The nonprofit Bay Foundation will get $494,700 for the Hampton project.
The Hampton River cuts through the city and runs 3.2 miles from the Willow Oaks area south to the VA Medical Center, feeding into the Chesapeake Bay.
The river was once home to plentiful productive oyster leases, but is now considered an impaired waterway, the Bay Foundation said in a news release.
Like elsewhere in the bay, decades of overharvesting, disease and habitat destruction decimated the oyster population to a fraction of historic levels.
Using grant money, the foundation will plant one million baby oysters attached to shells on two acres of new sanctuary oyster reef.
Many of those shells will come from Hampton restaurants including Fuller’s Raw Bar, Pour Girls and The Baker’s Wife Bistro & Bar.
The project is focused on engaging and serving the surrounding community, officials said.
That will include partnering with Hampton University, which sits along the river, and an organization called Black in Marine Science to help connect Black students with careers in the field.
The Bay Foundation said community members will be involved at multiple stages including planting oysters, recycling shells and constructing reefs.
As they grow, the oysters should clean the water, support other marine life and help boost recreational fishing in the area.
CBF said it plans to install a total of 10 acres of new oyster reef in the river, after finding several spots with hard, sandy river bottom ideal for oyster growth. If the nonprofit secures funding, the first five acres would be constructed next year and another five in 2027.
Local oyster restoration efforts fit into a larger regional goal set several years ago to add 10 billion oysters to the bay by 2025.
