CAMBRIDGE
(June 25, 2003) -- With funding from the NOAA National
Sea Grant Program, University
of Maryland Center for Environmental Science scientists will undertake
two studies on the non-native Suminoe or Asian oyster Crassostrea
ariakensis. This species is currently under consideration
by Virginia and Maryland
resource agencies for introduction to the Chesapeake Bay to help bolster
native eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica populations,
which have been ravaged by disease. Information from these two
studies will provide vital information for decision makers as they consider
management strategies
for the possible introduction of this non-native species.
Assessing the Potential for Natural Predators
to Control the Spread of the Suminoe Oyster, Crassostrea ariakensis
Scientists
do not know whether, if introduced, the Suminoe oyster can be controlled
by natural predators such as fish, crabs, or flatworms in Chesapeake
Bay that feed on the native eastern oyster. Without
natural controls, in time the Asian oyster population might grow to become
a nuisance, possibly out-competing the eastern oyster for resources
like
food and settlement space. UMCES scientists will examine the Asian
oysters’ vulnerability
to natural predators that feed on the native eastern oyster in the
mid-Atlantic region. The 24-month study would test the non-native species
to predators
commonly found on a Chesapeake Bay oyster bar through quarantined
experiments in a controlled laboratory setting.
The co-investigators, Drs. Roger
I. E. Newell and Victor
S. Kennedy of the UMCES Horn
Point Laboratory, are regarded as top experts on oyster biology
by the scientific community. They are among the three editors of The
Eastern Oyster, a comprehensive 734-page textbook synthesizing
the biology of Crassostrea virginica.
Characterizing the Survival and Performance
of the Suminoe Oyster, Crassostrea ariakensis, in Maryland Waters
While preliminary research shows the Asian oyster to be resistant to
diseases plaguing native oyster populations in Chesapeake Bay, little
is known about the Suminoe oyster’s biology or reef building capabilities.
More specifically, researchers do not know how well the non-native species
will survive Maryland’s low salinity, sediment-laden waters. UMCES scientists
in a collaborative effort with Virginia Institute of Marine Science,
will study the habitat and mortality rates in Maryland waters. The two-year
study will deploy both juvenile sterile native and non-native oysters
in the Choptank, Patuxent and Severn Rivers at controlled sites from
May to October for two seasons, once proper authority is obtained from
regulatory agencies.
As a member of the UMCES faculty and a Maryland
Sea Grant Agent, Dr. Donald
Meritt has operated UMCES’ Horn
Point Oyster Culture Facility, the state’s largest facility supporting
public and private oyster restoration, research and education efforts.
Last year, the facility produced more than 73 million disease-free
oyster spat for restoration and research purposes, accounting for more
than 90 percent of all hatchery-produced spat in the state. Dr. Kennedy
T. Paynter, an expert in oyster diseases, is a member of the faculty
at both UMCES’ Chesapeake Biological
Laboratory and the University
of Maryland College Park.
For more information about these proposals or about UMCES oyster research,
contact Kirsten Frese, Director
of Public Relations, (410) 228-9250 ext. 614.
Tracing
its origins to the East Coast’s oldest marine laboratory and
comprised of three laboratories through the state and the Maryland
Sea Grant College, the University of
Maryland Center for Environmental Science is
an environmental education and research university dedicated
to its comprehensive predictive ecology programs that begin at
the headwaters
of the Potomac
River and stretch to Maryland’s Atlantic Coast environments. UMCES
is one of 13 institutions within the University
System of Maryland and the only institution charged with
preserving and improving Maryland’s diverse environments along the Chesapeake
Bay watershed. |
