Sure, Take the Last One

WRIC News, Oyster season extended, harvest expected to reach largest amount in 35 years

The Virginia Marine Resources Commission extended Virginia’s oyster season due to what could be the largest harvest in 35 years. This season’s harvest could top 300,000 bushels, the highest number since the 1987-1988 season.

Oyster season is being extended by two weeks in March and April in portions of Virginia waterways where the oyster population is high. This comes in addition to the season extension Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) approved in January for parts of the James and Rappahannock Rivers.

After the bountiful harvest of the late 80s, Virginia’s oyster fishery crashed due to overharvesting and disease. Now, the oyster harvest is showing signs of recovery. VMRC is recommending harvesters be conservative when increasing harvest amounts to avoid curtailing long-term recovery.

 

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation also took note of record years for oyster reproduction in Virginia and Maryland. Oysters also saw lower mortality from disease and predators. Similar to VMRC, though, CBF cautioned against hasty harvesting.

The oyster season varies by area, but typically it lasts between fall and early spring, ending in March. This year’s season will extend into April.
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In previous years, Chesapeake waters suffered due to oyster overharvesting and disease. Oysters were harvested faster than they could reproduce. This caused a loss of habitat for other creatures and a decrease in water quality. Diseases like MSX were introduced which caused the further increased mortality rate of oysters.

History of the Virginia Oyster Fishery, Chesapeake Bay, USA

The oyster harvest was at its lowest in the 70s and 80s, according to Moore, with harvests of around 20,000 bushels a year. Since then, the CBF has worked to improve water quality and restore oyster populations.

“We’re in a good place now. But we still have to remember that oysters are still a fraction of what they were historical,” Moore said.

It's great that the oyster population in Virginia has rebounded to early 70s levels, but if you can't explain why they have rebounded, maybe you should be more cautious about allowing greater harvests as the they increase. 

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