• Contact Us
• Site Index

Enhance production of oysters by restoring habitat, controlling fishing mortality, promoting aquaculture and continuing the repletion programs.

• For more than a century, oysters constituted one of the Bay’s most valuable commercial fisheries. Over-harvesting, pollution and diseases such as Dermo and MSX have caused a severe decline in their numbers throughout the Chesapeake.
• Oyster spat are the juvenile "young of year" or yearling stage.
• Spat data indicate that oysters are still able to spawn and have the potential for restoration. The data do not reflect survival to harvestable size, nor do they reflect population size in the Bay.
• Data are from the VIMS Fall Public Oyster Grounds Survey. Oyster spat per bushel of bottom cultch sampled are averaged from seven bars on the James River: Horsehead, Long Shoal, Wreck Shoals, Point of Shoals, Dry Shoal, Thomas Rock and Nansemond Ridge. The historical peak in the James is around 10 times that of the Maryland peak.
• Oyster spat set and growth to adult stages are affected by freshwater flows to the Bay. At lower salinities, although growth is slower and potential for spat set is lower, oyster diseases caused by MSX and Dermo are kept in check. However, extremely low salinities may result in high oyster mortality. At higher salinities, growth and spat set are generally higher, but the potential for diseases caused by MSX and Dermo is greater.
• Virginia waters are generally higher in salinity compared to Maryland waters. Although spat set is higher in VA (compared to MD), survivorship to market size is typically lower than in MD.

• Native Oyster Abundance (Biomass)

Mike Fritz at 800-968-7229 ext. 721 or Derek Orner at 800-968-7229 ext. 676

Virginia Institute of Marine Science