Hatchery-Bred Triploid Asian Oysters May Be Two-Edged sword in Chespeake Bay

摘要

Increasing dependence on triploid oyster seed for commercial harvesting may be a double-edged sword in the environmentally stressed waters of Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) wants to see the bay's oyster stocks restored to the historical levels of 50 years ago, but matching that with continuing harvest pressures, plus the effects of disease and contamination is proving difficult. Water from six states drain into the bay, bringing developmental and industrial pollution problems, all with direct adverse effect on oysters, The fishery has been central to the social culture of the region, since early colonial times, and now there is a new fear: that Hurricane Katrina has seriously damaged the Gulf of Mexico oyster stocks, which happen to have been the Chesapeake's main source of commercial seed in recent years.