Virginia Oyster Harvest Increases 10 Fold

Virginia oyster harvest soars

Virginia’s oyster harvest has grown tenfold in the past decade to 236,000 bushels in 2011 and a dockside value of $8.2 million, state officials announced Tuesday.

Gov. Bob McDonnell credited the rebound to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission and its promotion of sanctuaries, targeted shell plantings in public oyster grounds and other measures.

A good thing, especially if this turns out to be sustainable.  10 years seem like a long time to most of us, but it's on the scale of fluctuations of marine populations due to climate and other factors.  With that caveat, maybe Maryland should look at how Virginia is instituting its oyster restoration, to see if they have some tricks we're not trying.