OXFORD - In the world of Chesapeake Bay oysters, the future looks bleak: harvests are down, reproduction is poor and pollution is increasing.
Bob Gilbert — The Capital
Maryland Department of Natural Resources biologists, from left, Mitch Tarnowski, Mickey Astarb (with clipboard) and Robert Bussell cull oysters while working on the Tred Avon River aboard the Miss Kay. The DNR crew demonstrated how they collect oysters each fall for a survey of oyster health.
Scientists from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources demonstrate how they harvest oysters and then check them for diseases in the lab. The oyster-killing diseases Dermo and MSX are largely responsible for the decline of oysters in the Chesapeake Bay.
But there's one bright spot, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Surveys are showing fewer oyster deaths from the diseases Dermo and MSX.
"It varies from year to year in intensity," said Mike Naylor, head of DNR's Shellfish Program. "It's still really high, but it's lower than it was."
Depending on where you are in the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers, between 53 percent and 94 percent of oysters are infected with one or both...
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Shellfish - 2009-01-15 15:59:07
Perhaps we should all thank global cooling for the beginning of the recovery.....
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Robin S. - Churchton, MD - Karma: Excellent
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