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At the Piankatank River in Virginia, the Conservancy is partnering with CBF to help restore native oysters. Click to view a slideshow of our efforts! Go DeeperRead the Conservancy and CBF’s joint news release on the Environmental Impact Statement. Download the draft EIS from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Read NOAA's overview of the Asian oyster issue. Invasive SpeciesThe Nature Conservancy is working to prevent and control the spread of invasive species in all 50 states and across more than 30 countries around the world. Contact USHave additional questions? Contact Mark Bryer at mbryer@tnc.org.
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Conservancy Urges Native-Oyster Restoration
The federal government, along with Maryland and Virginia, recently released an Environmental Impact Statement evaluating the potential introduction of an Asian oyster species into the Chesapeake Bay.
The states of Maryland and Virginia and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are now reviewing findings and public comments. A decision is expected in early 2009.
The Nature Conservancy and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation believe that restoring our native oyster is the best solution — for citizens, for the oyster industry, and for the Chesapeake Bay.
Below, we summarize why introducing a potentially invasive species is a risk we simply cannot afford.
How would an Asian oyster introduction affect the Chesapeake Bay?
Despite much excellent research, scientists cannot say with certainty that an introduction would be successful, or even provide promised benefits like ecological services and sustainable harvests. And we cannot say for sure that it would be safe. Research indicates that the Asian oyster is signficantly more likely than our native oyster to harbor human pathogens that cause gastroenteritis. And research has also shown that the Asian oyster is susceptible to a disease that decimated experimental populations in North Carolina.
We do know that an introduction would be irreversible. And even if Asian oysters are sterile when introduced, they would eventually spread to waters outside the Chesapeake Bay.
Will the Asian oyster become invasive?
Invasive species damage the lands and waters that native plants and animals need to survive. They hurt economies and threaten human well-being. The estimated damage from invasive species worldwide totals more than $1.4 trillion — five percent of the global economy.
The Asian oyster’s exact impact remains unknown, although scientists agree that it is likely to spread along the Atlantic coast and possibly the Gulf coast as well.
Will the Asian oyster harm native oysters?
The long-term outcome is unpredictable, but recent studies have found that Asian oysters could pose a risk to natives by disrupting their reproduction, competing for habitat and hosting diseases that could further threaten the Chesapeake oyster.
Will it be worth the risks?
Compared with land invasions, marine species are much more difficult and expensive to monitor and control. Once established, they are often impossible to remove.
With the right investments and management decisions by the public and private sectors, we can restore native oyster populations that provide significant ecological and economic benefits — all without the risk of unintended consequences.
What are the alternatives?
The Conservancy and CBF support scaling up native oyster restoration. Aquaculture using our native oyster is a real option to improve the industry and provide watermen new opportunities. It also has the potential to reduce harvest threats to wild populations. And native oyster restoration efforts designed to provide ecological benefits have already shown positive results in both Virginia and Maryland and could yield greater success if pursued on a larger scale.
Nature picture credits: All oyster photos © Hal Brindley.
