Biologists discover stunning turnaround in one of US' most critical oyster populations: 'We've seen a rebound'
A vibrant oyster population is essential to water cleanliness and aquatic biodiversity. As one of nature's best natural filtration systems that remove sediments and pollutants, they filter as much as two gallons of water hourly. Their healthy reefs are also habitats for other species like striped blennies, American eels, skilletfish, and blue crabs, per Ocean Find Your Blue.
However, overharvesting, disease, and environmental factors like drought and habitat decline have affected these aquatic species for decades. The rebound is a result of better ecological conditions and conservation work from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Maryland for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
Based on their research, conditions have allowed for more successful reproduction or "epic, generational spat sets," as Lynn Waller Fegley, Maryland Department of Natural Resources' director of fishing and boating services, told the Washington Post.
Those spats, which refer to larvae that attach to hard surfaces as they develop into mature oysters, have not only increased in number but also in distribution through the bay.
Maryland isn't the only DMV state to see thriving oysters again since Virginia's conservation effort allowed it to harvest one of the highest bushel amounts since the late 1980s — 700,000 of them.
Reliable oyster harvesting affects local livelihoods, which is why the past unstable population caused some to leave the business due to fluctuations that made profits impossible.
A 2020 report from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation stated that Maryland received about $9 million annually from oyster operations. In Virginia, one of the nation's top oyster producers, the state's economy gets $1.1 billion from seafood, and oysters are a major part of that, according to Virginia Tech.
"In the last five years, we've seen a rebound," Allison Colden, executive director of Maryland for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, told the Washington Post.
Other areas are also thriving with aquatic conservation — Cabo Pulmo in Mexico is seeing rebounding coral reefs, and an emergency hand-feeding program to help Florida manatees has been suspended as their food source, seagrass, has revived.
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Clean water that supports aquatic life and industry isn't something to take for granted. If these revivals remain steady, it marks progress toward a cleaner and safer planet for all.
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