Oyster Larval Transport/Hydrodynamic Modeling for the Herring Bay Sanctuary, Maryland | W81EWF 25 SOI 0008

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81EWF 25 SOI 0008

The Oyster Larval Transport/Hydrodynamic Modeling for the Herring Bay Sanctuary, Maryland opportunity is a competitively awarded cooperative agreement focused on supplying the science needed to plan a large-scale oyster restoration effort in Herring Bay, an open-water sanctuary on the western shore of the mainstem middle Chesapeake Bay. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Baltimore District, working with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), is looking beyond the Chesapeake Bay Agreement 2014 milestone of restoring oysters in 10 tributary rivers (expected to be achieved in 2025) and is now evaluating whether Herring Bay could support the next generation of restoration, this time in a less retentive, more hydrodynamically complex mainstem setting.

Herring Bay Sanctuary is large, about 16,792 acres, and includes a substantial footprint of historic oyster habitat: roughly 7,981 acres (about 48 percent) identified as historic oyster bottom (often referenced as Yates Bars) that could be considered for restoration. While historical records indicate this area once supported abundant oyster reefs, today the oyster population is described as essentially eliminated based on limited MDNR sampling. The problem is not just historical overharvest; it also reflects long-term pressures such as degraded water quality, habitat loss, and disease. Importantly for restoration planning, the agencies note that current conditions like water quality and bottom substrate appear supportive of reef restoration, but there is a major information gap around reproduction and, especially, larval transport into, out of, and within the sanctuary.

The core purpose of the project is to build and apply a hydrodynamic model for the Herring Bay region and link it to an oyster larval transport model (a coupled bio-physical modeling approach). The practical question behind the modeling is where oyster larvae go under realistic current patterns, and what that implies for rebuilding a self-sustaining oyster population. The project is explicitly framed around metapopulation dynamics, where some reefs function as "sources" that produce larvae that replenish themselves and export larvae to other reefs, while other reefs behave as "sinks" that rely on incoming larvae to persist. By simulating currents and larval behavior, the study is expected to identify which locations inside Herring Bay could serve as strong sources, which areas are likely sinks, and which reefs might be capable of auto-recruitment at levels high enough to be self-sustaining without continual supplementation. A related deliverable, if feasible, is an estimate grounded in oyster biology of how large a source area would need to be to measurably boost recruitment across the broader Herring Bay system.

Another major objective is to map connectivity beyond the sanctuary boundary: determining where larvae that arrive in Herring Bay are likely coming from. That information is meant to connect Herring Bay planning to other restoration investments and to adjacent oyster harvest grounds, since larval exchange can create benefits (or management conflicts) across jurisdictional and use boundaries. The agencies intend to use the modeling results to design a phased restoration plan, prioritizing restoration sites based on predicted larval connectivity and their role in the broader regional oyster network, rather than treating the sanctuary as a uniform area where any reef placement is equally effective.

The public benefit argument is that restoring oysters in an open, mainstem sanctuary could become a blueprint for future Chesapeake Bay restoration beyond tributaries, which tend to be more hydrodynamically retentive and, in many cases, more straightforward to manage. Ecologically, oysters are presented as a keystone species that create hard-bottom reef structure, supporting reef-associated communities and enhancing local productivity of species important to commercial and recreational fisheries (blue crabs are specifically mentioned). The opportunity also emphasizes water-quality services: historically, oyster filtration was estimated to be capable of filtering the Bay volume in roughly three days, whereas today the depleted population would take more than a year. Rebuilt reefs are expected to improve water clarity, increase denitrification, and stabilize sediments, with potential spillover benefits to nearby wild harvest areas if larval transport supports recruitment outside the sanctuary.

From an administrative standpoint, the award is issued by the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center under a discretionary cooperative agreement. The funding opportunity number is W81EWF 25 SOI 0008, with an anticipated single award up to $115,000. The original closing date is 2025-08-06, and the program is categorized under Science and Technology and other Research and Development (CFDA 12.630). Eligibility is restricted: only non-federal partners of the Chesapeake Watershed Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (CESU) may apply. The solicitation also notes an expectation that the study results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal in collaboration with Baltimore District personnel, which signals that the work is meant to be both operationally useful for near-term restoration planning and defensible as a contribution to the wider scientific community.

• The Engineer Research and Development Center in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Oyster Larval Transport/Hydrodynamic Modeling for the Herring Bay Sanctuary, Maryland" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.630.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-06-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-08-06. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $115,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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