Asian oysters rejected for {Chesapeake} bay (AP)

[eppur_se_muova]

By Ben Nuckols • Associated Press Writer • April 7, 2009

BALTIMORE -- After five years of study, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and officials from Maryland and Virginia decided against introducing Asian oysters into the Chesapeake Bay, saying Monday the bivalves pose too great a risk to the bay's fragile ecosystem.

Instead, the two states and the federal government will try to bolster efforts to restore the bay's native oyster population. But officials cautioned the effort will be expensive, and there's no guarantee of broad success.

"We can expect pockets of successes in various tributaries of the bay," said Col. Dionysios Anninos, head of the corps' Norfolk district. "I'm not so confident that we can bring back the oyster baywide."

The Asian oyster has been touted by watermen as a fast-growing and disease-resistant alternative to the native oyster, but questions remain about what would happen to native oysters if the nonnative species began to reproduce.

There is no guarantee sterile Asian oysters would remain sterile if introduced in large quantities, and some environmentalists and federal scientists fear the foreign oysters could overtake the native species.
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more: http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20090407/NEWS01/904070357/1002

[Historic NY]

1. So that was hard to figure out. They wasted 5 yrs to find out you don't fool with the ecosystem.

Haven't we had enough damage done with cheap Chinese crap.

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

2. History is full of misguided attempts to improve the ecosystem.

[DCKit]

3. You KNOW someone's going to do it anyway.

And they won't be lab-bred sterilized oysters.

If the EPA had been allowed to enforce environmental standards over the past 30 years, the bay would be far more productive.

Let's hope the new Administration allows the EPA to do their job.

[yop]

4. I support this study

I'm just glad we studied this beforehand-- I'm amazed that we aren't stuck studying aftereffects. This way, if someone does try to act on their own and purposely introduces Asian oysters into the Bay, they can't claim ignorance or that they were just trying to do the right thing.

Everyone should support native oyster farming (and other shellfish, such as mussels). Seafood that is low in toxins, high in good fats, and that actually improves the environment. Win-win-win!