The native Chesapeake Bay oyster may still have a fighting chance for survival.
Local scientists contend that before officials turn to a non-native oyster to rehabilitate the Chesapeake Bay oyster population, they should first invest in attempts to revive the native aquatic animals.
“There are a lot [of scientists] that feel we have a lot of unrealized potential in the native oyster, and we should fulfill those first,” said William Goldsborough, senior scientist for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to Bay restoration.
Maryland and Virginia officials are considering introducing nonnative Asian oysters into the Bay, along with continuing native restoration efforts, to boost the dwindling population.
A draft report released by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Maryland Department of the Environment and Virginia Marine Resources Commission details the effect of this proposal.
Introducing a non-native species brings a wealth of risks, scientists said.
The Asian oysters may compete for space with the native oysters, which could spell extinction for the natives, Goldsborough said.
The Asian oysters may be resistant to the diseases ravaging native oysters, but they can fall prey to a different non-native microbe called Bonamia. The non-native oysters also have thin shells, making them more susceptible to predators, he said.
“They would have their own problems,” Goldsborough said.
The problems that have lead to the native oysters’ demise, such as poor water quality and disease, would remain and still be concerns for other species of oysters, said Mark Bryer, director of the Chesapeake Bay program for the Nature Conservancy, a conservation organization.
“It seems that taking precautionary approach is really important and a wise decision,” he said.
The draft report offers a “dose of reality” to proponents who thought the Asian oyster would be the perfect solution, said Don Boesch, president of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.
“When you weigh the modest potential gains and uncertain risks, I don’t see there is a groundswell to say we should move ahead with the introduction,” he said.
Instead, the report makes a strong case for expanding aquaculture, which is cultivating or farming native oysters for harvest, he said.
The report offers options, Boesch said, “But really it’s saying, ‘Let’s realistically look at what we can do with native oysters.’ ”
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