Pile of scallops
Bay Scallop Restoration
Grades 9-12
Maryland is known for its oysters in the Chesapeake Bay. However, there is another bivalve species that is just as efficient at helping maintain the health of Maryland’s coastal bays just as much as oysters. Those organisms are called bay scallops. In this lesson, we will explore how scallop farmers cultivate and harvest bay scallops and how they play a role in maintaining the health of Maryland’s waters.
Teacher's Guide and Related Standards
Students will be able to explain the significant role bay scallops play in helping to preserve the health of Maryland and Virginia’s coastal bays.
- Why did the bay scallops of Maryland and Virginia’s coastal bays disappear in the past?
- How do bay scallops help preserve the health of Maryland’s bays and coastal waters?
Maryland Farm & Harvest Clip
- How long has it been since bay scallops thrived in Maryland and Virginia’s coastal bays?
- Describe the system used to harvest bay scallops.
- How do bay scallops help the health of Maryland and Virginia’s coastal bays?
- How has aquaculture farming impacted the bay scallop industry?
Vocabulary
Supplemental Enrichment Activities
and Designing Solutions
“Bay Scallop Restoration”
Students will read the article in order to explain the proposed solution and the work that is currently being done to restore bay scallop populations.
Bay Scallop
Students will navigate the information provided in the resource to learn about scallops' life and reproductive cycles, niche in the Chesapeake Bay, and why they are helpful to the Chesapeake Bay.
Restoring Bay Scallops
Students will watch a video that explains why the bay scallops disappeared from the Chesapeake Bay and nearby watersheds in the 1930s and why they have not been restored. Students will also learn that because eelgrass has returned to the Chesapeake Bay, the Bay can once again sustain scallop populations. Therefore, efforts are underway to restore bay scallop populations.
Career Connections
