Local Oysters May Have the Edge in Chesapeake

Over the past few years, native oyster efforts in the commonwealth have produced vibrant oyster beds and bigger aquaculture harvests, says Michael Lipford and Ann Jennings for the Richmond Times Dispatch. According to the news organisation, since 2005, native oyster aquaculture plantings have nearly tripled, and harvests have increased five-fold.

It may seem odd then that Virginia, Maryland, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are considering a proposal to purposefully introduce another oyster, one from Asia, into the Chesapeake Bay.

Yes, this decision, which will be made in the coming months, comes at a time when the news from the Chesapeake Bay has been mostly bad: crab harvests are down, sediments cloud Bay waters, and "dead zones" of low oxygen reduce critical habitat for the Bay's fish.

But today, Virginia's native oyster restoration work is offering a ray of light in the Bay's otherwise murky waters, rendering the necessity of introducing a foreign oyster moot.

Further Reading

	-	Go to our previous news item on this story by clicking here.
	-	Alternatively, read our report - Back from the Brink: Resuscitating Oysters in Chesapeake Bay - by clicking here.

TheFishSite News Desk

Sign up for our
regular news updates

Related news items:

•    November Agriculture And Fisheries Council Agenda
•    Potential For Fishmeal-Free Salmon
•    Consultation On Net And Trap Licences
•    Protection for Island Cockle Industry
•    Rock Lobster Fisherman Loses Licence for a Week

Related News Categories: Breeding and Reproduction, Biosecurity and Hygiene, Environmental Management, Water Quality, Oysters, Government and Regulatory, Fish Welfare, Sustainability

Sign up for our
regular news updates

More Fish Industry News

•   November Agriculture And Fisheries Council Agenda
•   Potential For Fishmeal-Free Salmon
•   Fish Wholesaling Industry Research
•   College To Boost Fish Farming
•   Consultation On Net And Trap Licences
•   Fish farming in Paddy Fields Takes Off
•   Tilapia-Skin Gelatine Next for Aquafinca
•   VIV China Reflects Development of Chinese Industry
•   Protection for Island Cockle Industry
•   Accessing Markets Directly To Improve Payments