Aquaculture for all

Opposition Grows to Asian Oyster Plan

Health Sustainability Oysters +8 more

US - Opposition is growing to a plan to introduce Asian oysters into the Chesapeake Bay.

Among those protesting against the plant are the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, the Chesapeake Bay Program's science advisory committee and the US Fish and Wildlife Service according to a report in the Baltimore Sun.

The report says that some environmental groups, including the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Nature Conservancy, have already been recorded as lodging their protests over the scheme.

And they believe that Maryland and Virginia should invest more time, money and effort in restoring the bay's native oyster species before pursuing such a risky strategy.

Chesapeake Bay's Eastern oyster population has been decimated largely because of diseases to which the Asian oyster appears to have greater resistance and this is the reason put forward for introducing the Asian variety.

But there is concern that bringing this disease resistant and fast growing oyster into the bay could pose ecological dangers.

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