A Conservation Biology Issue: the Eastern Oyster

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A Conservation Biology Issue: The Eastern Oyster Crassostrea virginica, or more commonly know as the Eastern Oyster plays an important role in estuary ecology in eastern North America. The reefs that this animal forms provide a habitat and food for a variety of plants and free-swimming fish. Oysters are filter feeders that feed on plankton and allege, which significantly improves water quality. It is estimated that one oyster can filter more than 50 gallons of water per day. (NOAA) Though these mollusks play an important role in estuaries, they also play an important role on land economically through the harvesting and selling of them for food. An area that has been most effected by Eastern Oysters is the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. For centuries, the Eastern Oyster cleaned and protected the waters of the Chesapeake Bay, providing habitat for its fishes and crabs. In the 17th century, one of the bay’s first European explorers, Captain John Smith, described the oysters as “laying thick as stones” and even made a note that the waters were difficult to navigate because there were so many oyster reefs. (Chesapeake Bay.net) With that being said, it isn’t a surprise that the Chesapeake Bay literally translates to “great shellfish bay”, but it would not hold this title for long. By the early 20th century nearly three-quarters of the bay’s oyster reef population have been over-harvested using dredging techniques. (Oysters in the Chesapeake) Today, overharvesting has led the remaining oyster population in the bay to be only one percent of its historical amount and now the remaining population faces problems with pollution, diseases, reproduction problems, and continued harvesting. The Chesapeake Bay is a vast system of waterways with an even vaster watershed that is 64,000 square miles with an estimated 17 million people living in this area. ( Chesapeake Bay Program)

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