ChesapeakeChesapeake BayBay OysterOyster BriefBrief

AugustAugust 20032003

NOAA Office Native - Crassostrea virginica ¾ Restoration Goal ¾ NOAA Funding ¾ Current Status Limiting Factors ¾ Shell supply ¾ Magnitude of task ¾ Hatchery production ¾ Disease Asian Oyster - Crassostrea ariakensis ¾ Biology & Concerns ¾ History ¾ VSC Industry Trial ¾ NAS Study ¾ NOAA Funds Research ¾ Next Steps & Policy Decisions Native Oyster

Eastern Oyster Crassostrea virginica

¾ Restoration Goal ¾ NOAA Funding ¾ Current Status NativeNative OysterOyster C2KC2K AgreementAgreement

By 2010, achieve, at a minimum, a tenfold increase in native in the Chesapeake Bay

Ecology: Economy: water quality Billion $ industry reef habitat secondary revenue NativeNative OysterOyster NOAANOAA FundingFunding

Annual (Millions) ¾ Large-scale restoration (MD and VA) $ 1.9 ¾ Small watershed projects $ 0.2 ¾ Oyster disease research (national program) $ 2.0 ¾ Oyster fishery management $ 0.05 ¾ NOAA divers - monitoring Not Avail. TOTAL: > $ 4 M/yr NativeNative OysterOyster HarvestHarvest

140,000 Chesapeake Bay

120,000 1880-2001

100,000 MSX Introduced 80,000 Dermo

60,000

40,000

20,000 Thousands of Pounds

0 1880 1885 1890 1895 1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 1925 1930 1935 1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 NativeNative OysterOyster PopulationPopulation NativeNative OysterOyster CurrentCurrent StatusStatus

MD Oyster Biomass Index 10x Goal 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 1994 Baseline 1/2 of 3 Baseline 2 1 0

88 94 96 00 02 08 10 986 1 19 1990 1992 19 19 1998 20 20 2004 2006 20 20 Limiting Factors

Things that will limit our ability to restore an abundant, ecologically & economically viable oyster population to Chesapeake Bay.

¾ Shell supply ¾ Hatchery production ¾ Large spatial scale ¾ Disease LimitingLimiting FactorsFactors ShellShell SupplySupply

Oyster shell supplies are limited

¾ Decreased amounts from shucking houses ¾ Fossil shell - requires dredge permit ¾ Alternative substrates being investigated LimitingLimiting FactorsFactors HatcheryHatchery ProductionProduction

Maryland: UMD Horn Point Lab MDNR: Deal Island Hatchery Piney Point Hatchery No private hatcheries

Virginia: VIMS Numerous private hatcheries

Horn Point Lab Spat Production 1994: < 5 M 2003: 100 M AREL: 200 - 500 M LimitingLimiting FactorsFactors SpatialSpatial ScaleScale

Chesapeake Bay: 4.48 million acres

Oyster Habitat: charted oyster grounds: 458,000 acres historically productive: 200,000 acres currently productive: a fraction

Current restoration efforts: 10s-100s acres/year LimitingLimiting FactorsFactors OysterOyster DiseaseDisease

MSX (Haplosporidium nelsoni) • 1956 Delaware Bay • 1957 Chesapeake Bay

Dermo ( marinus) • 1940s Gulf of Mexico • 1949 Chesapeake Bay • 1950s Delaware Bay • 1990s CT, NY, MA, RI, ME LimitingLimiting FactorsFactors OysterOyster DiseaseDisease

SEA GRANT Oyster Disease Research Program (ODRP) • Developing molecular tools for disease detection • Determining processes of parasitic infection • Understanding oyster immune system • Producing disease-resistant oyster strains

CROSBreed highly resistant to MSX, not to Dermo DEBY moderately resistant to both MSX and Dermo LimitingLimiting FactorsFactors

All these major limitations apply regardless of oyster species, with the exception of DISEASE. Non-native Oyster

Asian or Suminoe Oyster Crassostrea ariakensis

¾ Biology & Concerns ¾ History ¾ VSC Industry Trial ¾ NAS Study ¾ NOAA’s position on C. ariakensis ¾ NOAA Funds Research ¾ Next Steps C.C. ariakensisariakensis BiologyBiology

Similar Different X Appearance/Taste X? Larval Behavior/Dispersal X? Filtration X? Reef Building X? Response to Pathogens X Growth to Market Size C.C. ariakensisariakensis ConcernsConcerns

Introduce new disease (virus) Harbor & spread existing diseases Become fouling/invasive Hybridize with C. virginica Act as a gamete sink Outcompete and displace C. virginica Cascading food web effects C.C. ariakensisariakensis HistoryHistory

1991 VA industry request for non-native oyster introduction 1995 VA House Joint Resolution No. 450 1996 VIMS 5-Year Plan to study C. gigas, C. ariakensis 1997 VIMS C. gigas study - failed marketability tests 1998 VIMS C. ariakensis study *** 2000 VSC Trial #1 - 6,000 oysters, 6 growers 2001 VSC Trial #2 - 60,000 oysters, 13 growers 2002 VA House Joint Resolution No. 164 2002 VSC Trial #3: 1,000,000 oysters, 39 growers -- Proposed 2002 NAS study commissioned C.C. ariakensisariakensis VSCVSC IndustryIndustry TrialTrial

Previous VSC Trials: 2000 6,000 oysters, 6 growers 2001 60,000 oysters, 13 growers

Current VSC Proposal: “Economic analysis and pilot-scale field trials of triploid C. ariakensis aquaculture” 2002 1,000,000 oysters, 39 growers C.C. ariakensisariakensis VSCVSC IndustryIndustry TrialTrial

Biosecurity Concerns Triploidy Handling • Reproductive sterility • Catastrophic loss • 100% triploids • Inventory control • Triploid stability

Regulatory Authorities Sect. 10 Rivers & Harbors Act Sect. 404 Clean Water Act C.C. ariakensisariakensis VSCVSC IndustryIndustry TrialTrial

Dec 2002 VSC resubmits modified proposal Mar 2003 Federal agency permit review elevation Mar 2003 15 project-specific permit conditions Apr 2003 ACOE prepared EA and Findings Apr 2003 ACOE permit issued with conditions Aug 2003 Deployment Aug 2003 NAS study to be released Sep 2003 Revisit VSC project permit C.C. ariakensisariakensis NASNAS StudyStudy National Academy of Sciences Non-native Oysters in the Chesapeake Bay

Sponsors: EPA MD Sea Grant NOAA VA Sea Grant USFWS CT Sea Grant Purpose: To examine the ecological and socio-economic risks and benefits of open water aquaculture or direct introduction of the non-native oyster, Crassostrea ariakensis, in the Chesapeake Bay. C.C. ariakensisariakensis NASNAS StudyStudy

Will address potential effects on: • ecology of Chesapeake Bay • water quality • habitat • spread of human & oyster diseases • native oyster recovery Will encompass: ¾ Chesapeake Bay & neighboring coastal areas ¾ Adequacy of existing regulatory and institutional frameworks to monitor and oversee activities C.C. ariakensisariakensis NASNAS StudyStudy

Release of Report Aug 12 Embargoed copies to sponsors Aug 13 Fed/State agencies meet to discuss: • preliminary reactions • confirm core messages for press releases Aug 14 Public release date • Sponsors briefing 10:00-11:30 am • Public press conference 1:00-3:00 pm C.C. ariakensisariakensis NASNAS StudyStudy

NOAA Communications Strategy NAS will issue a press release CBP will issue a statement from partner agencies All inquiries/responses NOAA Public Affairs from NOAA directed to: Linda Taylor, NCBO Prepare talking points Prepare future press conference C.C. ariakensisariakensis NOAA’sNOAA’s PositionPosition

What should be NOAA’s position on C. ariakensis? y Balancing economics and environment (DOC) y Regulatory vs. voluntary/cooperative process y Facilitating science and funding research

Current position of NOAA CBO: y Neutral y Science-based y Non-regulatory C.C. ariakensisariakensis NOAANOAA FundsFunds ResearchResearch

¾ Sponsor of NAS study (FY02) $ 50 K

¾ VIMS ariakensis pathogen studies (FY02) $ 75 K

¾ VSC project biosecurity/monitoring (FY03) $ 1 M

¾ ODRP: 3 ariakensis research projects (FY03) $277 K y Control of natural predators y Competition between C.a. and C.v. y Reef building potential in MD and VA TOTAL $ 1.4 M C.C. ariakensisariakensis NextNext StepsSteps

¾ NAS Report Review ¾ Revisit VSC Permit ¾ Future press conference ¾ MD/VA proposal for diploid introduction ¾ EIS