Good news for the Chesapeake's oysters

There was a bumper crop of babies spawned last year by the Chesapeake Bay's beleaguered oyster population, Maryland officials announced Monday. There were also signs that the diseases that have ravaged the bay's bivalves for more than two decades might have loosened their stranglehold, the Baltimore Sun reports.

Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) heralded the "exciting new evidence" from the state's recently completed survey of Maryland waters, adding in a statement that there is "reason to be more optimistic than ever about the recovery of this iconic species."

Some experts, while encouraged, were more cautious in their assessment, noting that the bay's oysters have dwindled to one percent or two percent of their historic abundance, according to the Sun. They also note that at least some of the apparent rebound may stem from favorable weather conditions over the past several years, which are unlikely to last forever.

Read more about the report on the Chesapeake Bay's oyster population in the Baltimore Sun.