W&M ScholarWorks Virginia Marine Resource Bulletin Virginia Sea Grant 10-1-1980 Marine Resource Bulletin Vol. 12, No. 3 Virginia Sea Grant Virginia Institute of Marine Science Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/vimsmrb Part of the Aquaculture and Fisheries Commons Recommended Citation Virginia Sea Grant and Virginia Institute of Marine Science, "Marine Resource Bulletin Vol. 12, No. 3" (1980). Virginia Marine Resource Bulletin. 31. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/vimsmrb/31 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Virginia Sea Grant at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Virginia Marine Resource Bulletin by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ~ z :> 0 > >- ~ U) :I: Q. <i oc c:> 0 b :I: Q. The world's richest oyster bottoms page VIMS report entitled "The Oyster a year. Approximately 100,000 acres are in the Chesapeake Bay, but Vir- Industry of Virginia: Its Status, Pro- of private bottoms produced about ginia's oyster production just isn't blems and Promise:'* published by 2,600,000 bushels a year. Oystermen VIMS Sea Grant Marine Advisory had learned to deal with the two great- what it used to be. The State's 1958- est menances to their oyster crops - 59 oyster harvest yielded over 4 million Services, continues to be the industry's bushels of oysters. Total production most comprehensive source of infor- the oyster drill, (a marine snail that for the 1978-79 season was only slightly mation. The report reveals a complex preys on young oysters) and the oyster over 1 million bushels. series of events combining disease, pathogen known as "Dermo." The "We don't have as many oysters as weather, pollution, and socio-economic scientific name for "Dermo." Perkinsus we'd like to have:' says O. A. Spady, aspects that has undermined the pro- marinum, was named after VIMS owner of Battery Park Fish and Oyster duction of Virginia's most valuable scientist Dr. Frank O. Perkins, who has Company. "Why don't we have them? fishery. made major contributions to the study Is it pollution? Is it mother nature? I n the 1950's, V'irginia's oyster of the disease. There could be 100 reasons and we can industry thrived. The State's 240,000 In the late fall of 1959, a mysterious disease known as "Multinucleate Sphere only speculate." acres of public bottoms produced What caused the 20-year decline of about 550,000 bushels of oysters Unknown" or "MSX" (Minchinia nel- Virginia's vital oyster industry? In a soni) entered the Chesapeake Bay. fishery as complex as the oyster indus- Scientists at VI MS had closely monitor- try, it is difficult to pinpoint causes. * The Oyster Industry of Virginia: ed early signs of MSX in the Delaware "We can't answer our own ques- Its Status, Problem:s and Promise. Bay and predicted its appearance in tions:' Spady continues, "We must Dexter S. Haven, William J. Hargis, Virginia waters. But none expected its look to scientists and researchers for Jr. and Paul C. Kend,lll. Special Report drastic effect on Virginia's oyster crops. MSX devasted oyster populations on answers." No.4, 1078 pages. Scientists at the Virginia Institute The Oyster Indu!ltry of Virginia: high-salinity bottoms, causing mortal- of Marine Science, School of Marine Its Status, Problem!; and Promise.- ities as high as 100% on the largest, Science of the College of William and Executive Summary. Dexter S. Haven, most productive grounds in the Bay. Oyster production on private bot- Mary, have studied Virginia's oyster William J. Hargis, Jr. and Paul C. Ken- industry since the 1940's. The 1078 dall. SRAMSOE No. 168, 149 pages. toms declined drastically. It was an economic risk to lease bottoms, buy fuel, equipment and labor rendered the impact of MSX on many areas and plant oyster seed, hire labor for relocation to many of the smaller where it formerly caused great damage. harvest, and then to have crops wiped low-salinity oyster grounds economi- Oyster production on many public out by MSX. Naturally productive cally impractical. grounds began to recover in the "wet" public bottoms kept producing oysters Oddly enough, MSX did not cause 70's. However, overall private produc- but at a slightly lower rate due to the high mortalities in Virginia's Eastern tion remained slow due to rising costs fact that these bottoms were in regions Shore oyster populations. Oyster of fuel, supplies, labor, and the lack of of moderate to low salinity where MSX production on the Eastern Shore, experienced oyster shuckers. Contri- was not as active. Also, increased however, declined largely because of buting to the private sector's decline oyster seed repletion by the Virginia economic conditions in the 60's. was the price of seed purchased from Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) The 1970's brought a decade of public seed beds, which had more than helped maintain public grounds. above average rainfall that lowered doubled since 1960. Private growers Throughout the decade of the salinities throughout the Bay. In 1972, historically had produced more oysters 60's, MSX continued to suppress millions of dollars worth of oysters at a lower cost per acre than public private oyster production on many were killed when tropical storm Agnes harvesters. But in the 1978-79 season, desirable, high-salinity bottoms. The dropped unprecedented amounts of oyster production from public grounds cost of running an oyster business fresh water on the upper tributaries totaled 614,000 bushels, while pro- increased against a relatively stable of the Bay. But the lol/v salinities duction from private grounds totaled wholesale oyster price. Rising costs of also eliminated oyster drills and reduced (continued on next page) / ./ Opposite page: Tonging for oysters on the James River public bottoms near Menchville, Virginia. This page -- clockwise from top: Some oysrer tongers sell and offload day's catch onto large "buy boats" in the Mench- ville harbor. At the dock, other oyster- men sell and unload day's catch by c ---~~~-'::'--~~~ transferring bushel buckets of oysters onto moving conveyor belt and into waiting trucks. Oyster boats line up at the dock to wait their turn unload- ing -"Buy boat" is in background. ~ (continued from page 3) only 443,000 bushels. seed in hatcheries. Dr. Jay D. Andrews There will be no simple solution What does the decade of the 80's of VIMS has studied MSX since its to improving Virginia's oyster industry. have in store for Virginia's oyster appearance in the Bay ,and has develop- The 20-year decline in oyster pro- industry? ed an MSX-resistant strain of oysters. duction from Virginia's waters has Weston Conley, owner of RCV Hatchery-reared, d isea~se-resistant seed occurred and has persisted due to Seafood, Inc. in Morattico, Virginia, remains an attractive alternate for complex relationships of environmental and president of the Oyster Packers the future. problems, diseases, pollution, and lower- Association, says that the yield of "If we wish to increase statewide ed quality of seed stocks combined this season'soyster crop is down more production:' emphasi:zes Dexter S. with rising production costs, stagnant than one pint per bushel, and quality Haven, head of the VIMS Department dockside prices, and the failure to of the oyster meat is not uniform. of Applied Biology, and one of the utilize cost effective planting and har- Consequently, tongers are not getting authors of the Oyster Industry Report, vesting techniques. Many of the current as much money for oysters and the high "We cannot take just one step -we must practices and management of the in- cost of shucking makes it hard for do several things at thl~ same time." dustry are outmoded, and the oyster oyster processors to make reasonable Per capita consum.~r demand for industry, like most fisheries, is resistant profit. "The name of the game is oysters has decreased. Increasing the to change. yield," says Conley. "If the overall demand for Virginia seafood through "The problems are mostly of our quality of the oysters is poor, the modern marketing techniques and edu- own making:' says Cranston Morgan, effects are felt by the tongers, the cational projects will be a major ob- owner of C. F. Morgan and Sons, Inc. processors,and the customers." jective in the 1980's ,of the Virginia and president of the Oyster Growers The oyster industry is faced with Seafood Council (VSCt and the Virginia and Dealers Association, "Problems continuing escalations in costs of Marine Products Comrnission (VMPC). like overharvesting or improperly de- seed, labor, marine equipment, vessels, Keith Porter, execultive director of veloped systems can be easily solved supplies, and borrowed money. The the VSC feels that falrsightedness is with the scratch of a pen." Morgan drought of 1980 has increased salinities essential in dealing wi1:h the problems feels that one of the industry's main throughout the Bay and has brought facing Virginia's oystelr Industry. "We problems is in the social field -distrust back the threat of MSX and oyster need to address long range problems and among watermen and packers, distrust drills. "We can't help it if the oysters concentrate on long-range solutions," among scientists and politicians. "Our aren't fat -that's an act of mother says Porter. "And the key element of problem is more psychological than nature." says O. A. Spady. "But if marketing any seafoodl is in the edu- actual," he says. we just don't have enough oysters - cation area. For example, consumers In order for Virginia's oyster in- there is a lot we can do to help." need much more education in the dustry to get on the road to recovery, The VIMS Oyster Industry Report handling, storage, and l:Jreparation of a it will be necessary to have a com- outlines many aspects of Virginia's seafood like oysters thlan, say, a red bination of efficient management oyster industry and recommends pos- meat like hamburger." and continuing scientific and engineer- sible lines of action that could bring Jim Wallace, director of the VMPC, ing guidance.