Scallops Returning to Chesapeake Bay

Good News Network, Locally Extinct for a Century, Bay Scallops Thriving Again on Virginia Shore of Chesapeake Bay

Bay scallops are making an incredible resurgence in coastal bays along Virginia’s Eastern Shore, according to a new survey.

The exponential population growth is the result of decades of dedicated seagrass restoration efforts that allowed scientists to reintroduce the species to its former home.

Locally extinct since the 1930s due to habitat loss, bay scallops are thriving again, with help from the College of William & Mary’s and VIMS Eastern Shore Laboratory (ESL) in Wachapreague, Virginia.

The comeback could possibly set the stage for a future recreational fishery.

 

During the Bay Scallop Survey for 2025, the group routinely documented finding multiple scallops within a single square meter—something unimaginable just a few years ago.

Additionally, the researchers estimate the population will double in less than 18 months.

Virginians may one day be able to harvest local bay scallops for themselves, if the current moratorium on harvesting them along Virginia shores were lifted with the approval of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.

“The restoration of bay scallops to their former range along the Virginian Eastern Shore represents a significant societal and ecological achievement,” said VIMS ESL Director Richard Snyder in a media release. 

Bay scallops (Argopecten irradians) once thrived in Virginia waters until an eelgrass wasting disease in the 1930s decimated their natural habitat. For approximately 90 years, the species was absent from the commonwealth’s coastal bays.

However, in 1997, William & Mary’s Batten School & VIMS researchers launched a seed-based submerged aquatic vegetation restoration project, now considered the largest and most successful seagrass restoration in the world.

Early years showed relatively low, fluctuating numbers, but recently the population has grown exponentially and researchers say its upper limit remains unknown. “It’s incredibly fulfilling to see this progress,” said Darian Kelley, a nursery manager at VIMS ESL who works closely with regional shellfish farmers.

But, but,  Seagrass swap could reshape Chesapeake Bay food web

Beneath the surface of the Chesapeake Bay, a subtle but dramatic shift is taking place as eelgrass gives way to its warmer-water relative, widgeon grass. A new study from researchers at William & Mary's Batten School & VIMS shows that this seagrass swap could have ecological impacts across the Bay’s food webs, fisheries and ecosystem functions.

Published in Marine Ecology Progress Series, the study reveals that while both seagrass species offer valuable habitat, they support marine life in very different ways. The researchers estimate that the continued shift from eelgrass to widgeon grass could lead to a 63% reduction in the total quantity of invertebrate biomass living in seagrass meadows in the Bay by 2060.

“Several factors including water quality, rising temperatures and human development are threatening eelgrass in the Chesapeake Bay. In its place, particularly in the middle Bay, widgeon grass has expanded due to its ability to tolerate warmer, more variable conditions,” said Associate Professor Chris Patrick, who is also director of the Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) Monitoring & Restoration Program at the Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences & VIMS. “However, the two grasses provide structurally distinct habitats that shape the animals living within.”

So, it's the most successful seagrass restoration ever, but now it's being threatened by Widgeongrass? 

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Terrain Features Part II at the usual time and place.