The From the Bay, For the Bay Dine Out program that many Annapolis area restaurants participated in raised $20,240 in support of the Chesapeake Bay oyster-restoration efforts.

Boatyard Bar & Grill in Annapolis was among the top participating restaurants along with Woodberry Kitchen and Ryleigh’s Oyster Bar in Baltimore, and Matchbox Restaurants in Washington, DC, according to a press release. Together they donated $5,626, the release said.

The weeklong program in October was a partnership of the state Department of Natural Resources and the Oyster Recovery Partnership (ORP).

“Not only did the event raise funds to help us rebuild our native oyster population, it showcased our terrific Maryland seafood and our ongoing efforts to restore the bay,” Gov. Martin O'Malley said in a statement.

More than 170 restaurants in Maryland; Washington, DC; Delaware; Pennsylvania and Virginia participated in the promotion. The restaurants donated $1 from every Maryland seafood dinner sold during the week.

“The funds that were received will enable us to recycle over 300 bushels of oyster shells and then plant 1.5 million baby oysters back into the bay,” Stephan Abel, executive director of ORP, said in the release.

The restoration activities include collecting, aging, cleaning oyster shells and planting spat (baby oysters), on the oyster shells. The spat is produced by the University of Maryland, Center for Environmental Science Horn Point Hatchery, according to the release.

The Oyster Recovery Partnership also organizes the oyster Shell Recycling Alliance, which collects donated used oyster shells from the public and about 100 restaurants. For more information on the Oyster Recovery Partnership, visit oysterrecovery.org.