The Chesapeake Bay has seen a drastic decrease in one of its most vital resources known to date, the eastern oyster (C. Virginicana). Over the past two hundred years, the native oyster to these waters has changed roles from being the world’s largest marketable oyster supply, to a dwindling count in need of our help. Being a top keystone species of the Bay, the native oyster has great impacts on the entire ecosystem and other organisms that thrive there as well. As the Chesapeake Bay’s health decreases, so does the oyster population which if ever lost, could only make matters worse.
The oyster industry of the Chesapeake Bay has taken a huge hit with the decline in native oyster numbers. The economic effect that this decline is causing is of great concern to the local businesses in the area. In recent years, the states of Maryland and Virginia have dramatically reduced the number of oyster harvesting licenses for the Chesapeake Bay due to critically low numbers of native oysters (Committee on Nonnative Oysters in the Chesapeake Bay, National Research Council 102). The new limits place harvest restrictions, meaning fewer boats are needed to fish for the oysters causing a loss of jobs for shipmen. This doesn’t only affect the shipmen, with fewer oysters being harvested, cutbacks are having to be made in the processing plants employment due to decreasing revenue. With the oyster industry in the Chesapeake Bay region suffering, it is only compounding to the Nation’s already deteriorated economic state.
The idea of introducing a new species of oyster to the Bay has been floating around for some time. The Asian oyster (C. ariakensis) has been chosen to test and is seen by many as our best bet in saving the Chesapeake’s oyster population. Known to grow at faster rates and through the winter months, the Asian oyster at first glance seems like an easy fix to our fishing market, but many risks are associated with their introduction to the Bay.
Human consumption of the Asian oyster is a large concern. Asian oysters are filter feeders, and have the ability to filter toxins and other pathogens from the water, which they accumulate in their tissues. Not only would this accumulation of toxins affect humans, but also the oysters’ predators, which humans also consume. The blue crab and various species of fish feed upon the Bay oysters and could possibly acquire the toxins themselves and transfer to humans when consumed, a process called biomagnification. A study released from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health states that, “Findings showed that C. ariakensis, when grown in aquacultures, effectively and efficiently remove human pathogens from the water. However, the researchers also found that some human pathogens accumulated and persisted in Asian oysters up to five times longer than in native oysters. They concluded that the nonnative oysters could pose a health threat if harvested from polluted waters and were consumed raw,” (http://www.jhsph.edu/). The potential of the Asian oyster to be unhealthy for consumers could possibly end up shutting down the entire oyster industry of the Chesapeake Bay.
In previous attempts to introduce non-native species in areas of the United States, new diseases have occurred and been transferred to other areas such as the Chesapeake Bay. Introduction of the Japanese oyster to the Delaware Bay led to two diseases, MSX and Dermo, which made their way to the Chesapeake and are now a large concern for the native oyster population. Will introducing the Asian oyster introduce even more diseases to our Bay and potentially harm other water bodies in the area?
The effect that the chosen solution to the oyster decline will have on human life style and identity is also a concern. Since the early 1800’s, the Eastern oyster has been one of the representative species of the Chesapeake Bay, much like the Bald Eagle represents the American lifestyle and values. As a tourist attraction, the Bay represents the East Coast lifestyle. Introducing the Asian oyster would change the identity of the Bay from one of true American marine wildlife to one tainted with foreign placeholders. The aesthetic value of the oyster is also important to the Bay’s reputation. Tourism brings in much of the revenue from people all over the world, anxious to experience this famous estuary. As mentioned previously, there is a risk of increased toxicity associated with the Asian oyster, resulting from a polluted Chesapeake Bay. Not many people would spend their hard earned money on a vacation to a polluted cesspool. How the Bay is viewed by the public is important not only for its national reputation, but also to the people who earn their living entertaining vacationers to the area.
Ecosystem services and ecological health of the Bay are among the top issues when choosing a solution to the decline in oyster populations. Native oysters have the unique habit of building reefs in which they grow. Populations of the eastern oyster were once so great, that at low tide the reefs would scrape the bottom of boats as they passed. These reefs provide habitats to many other marine organisms and are vital for their survival. The decreases in the native oyster populations have left us with fewer reefs which prove to be an integral part of the Bay community. “Rock oysters” are the type of oysters that grow upon flat substrates instead of having the ability to grow upon each other. The Asian oysters are classified under these “rock oysters,” and are unable to provide the Bay with essential reef niches, vital to the survival of many organisms in the Bay.
It is obvious that the oyster populations of the Bay need our help in their survival. Introducing the Asian oyster as we have explained is not the best choice economically, ecologically, or aesthetically. We need to focus on the preservation and rebuilding of our own native oyster population and eliminating the need for foreign oysters. Our money should be put towards the restoration projects for the eastern oyster instead of tests for the non-native species. There are too many unknowns of what would become of the Bay if this non-native species was introduced, and too much time and money are being wasted on an idea that we will never be able to fully understand. Too much risk is at stake economically and ecologically to choose the “quick fix” solution of introducing the Asian oyster. Our best bet and safest option to save the oysters of the Bay is to go the native way!
