Can Extensive and Intensive Oyster Farming Keep the Industry

Alive in Virginia, USA? 

Can Extensive and Intensive Oyster Farming Keep the Industry

Alive in Virginia, USA? 

T. Leggett. (1), B. Goldsborough (2), J. Harmon (1) Chesapeake Bay Foundation (1) PO Box 412, Wicomico, VA, 23184, USA, (2) Chesapeake Bay Foundation, 6 Herndon Ave., Annapolis, MD, 21403,

11th International Conference on Shellfish RestorationNovember 19-22, 2008Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Harvesting the Chesapeake

CBF Promotes Oyster Aquaculture

Oyster Farming Gains Momentum

Non native EIS

Blue crab decline

Non Native Oyster EIS Triggers Interest in Aquaculture

Avg. Monthly Shell Heights

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb

Ca

Cv

CBF Working on Solutions for Virginia Oyster Industry

2 month old spat on shell

First Day of Harvest

5 inch, 2 year old sterile native oysters

260 bu sterile native spat on shell planted; 937 bu harvested in 1.5 years

Virginia Restoration Fund Supports Triploid Spat On Shell Project

Setting larvae for Cowart Seafood Corporation, July 2007

Planting triploid spat on shell in York River, August 2007

Enter the Cow Nose Ray

Can Watermen Make a Living Planting and Harvesting Triploid Spat on Shell?

Waterman William Hicks and family set up and operate a spat on shell production

facility with funding from the Campbell

Foundation.

A Second Waterman Trained to Produce Spat on Shell

Funding to Train a Tangier Island Waterman To Grow Oysters

VMRC Waterman Retraining Program for Oyster Aquaculture

Rapid Growth of Triploid Virginica

’07 and ’08 York River Singles from Cage culture

’07 Ware River Spat on Shell, Summer ‘08

Industry Mechanizing

ECONOMICS• Half shell market: .15-.45 each

depending on marketing strategy

• Spat on shell: $25-$35/bu

Will thisWork?

I’m optimistic

Water quality, Shellfish and

Aquaculture Enhancement

Zones

Cow Nose Rays

What is the Potential for Expansion and What are the Probable

Issues?

Acknowledgements

Keith Campbell Foundation for the EnvironmentVA Restoration FundVirginia Institute of Marine ScienceCowart Seafood and Bevans Oyster Co.Virginia Marine Resources Commission

Questions?