The Piankatank River, a small Virginia subestuary of the Chesapeake Bay, was chosen as the site for this project. The Piankatank was the preferred location for this oyster restoration effort because it 1) is a trap type estuary which permits good retention of oyster larvae, 2) has relatively good water quality due to its small, well forested watershed, and 3) has extensive data sets available resulting from past reef construction and oyster replenishment activities as well as detailed water quality monitoring and seagrass restoration efforts (both NOAA funded).

Project activities focused on the portion of the river downstream of the State Route 3/33 bridge primarily between Ginney and Stove Points. The map below indicates oyster recruitment monitoring sites within this portion of the river as well as the site of reef construction and broodstock deployment (Bland Point). VMRC restoration activities have focused on this part of the river since 1993 and there are 4 artificially enhanced/constructed reefs in this portion of the river that have been previously used by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation oyster gardening program as sites for broodstock planting. These reefs (Palace Bar, Iron Point, Bland Point, Burton Point) are indicated on the map of oyster restoration sites in Virginia as well as the map below.