New polling shows that Marylanders overwhelmingly want to protect oyster sanctuaries, despite state and federal attempts to roll back those protections. Maryland’s oyster restoration efforts have been so successful that its oyster population has tripled since expanding its oyster sanctuary network. Results overwhelmingly favored keeping protections in place, with 78 percent supporting maintaining existing oyster sanctuaries, and only 8 percent opposing it. Despite this clear and multi-partisan support for oyster sanctuaries, there have been multiple attempts to open protected reefs to harvest recent months. Marylanders who were polled said they want to keep oyster sanctuaries protected because they improve water quality, provide a home for other species, and they contribute to the local economy.