Session Lead: Larry Sanford (UMCES); Cecily Steppe (U.S. Naval Academy)
Session Co-Leads: Jeff Cornwell, Bruce Vogt, Lisa Kellogg
Session Format : Oral presentations, possible panel
Abstract:
Recent years have seen increased efforts to reverse continuing declines in Chesapeake Bay oyster populations, through both large-scale restoration activities and aquaculture farming. In addition to their primary focus on oysters themselves, these efforts have sparked a renewed interest in the ecosystem services potentially provided by large, healthy aggregations of oysters. Recent programs included the major NOAA-funded Oyster Reef Ecosystem Services (ORES) study and the CBP-sponsored panel on the potential use of oyster farming and restoration as Best Management Practices (BMPs). These studies are ending, but there are many other examples of increased research and monitoring targeting ancillary benefits of oyster reefs and oyster farms. This session will provide a forum for information exchange, comparative discussion, and future planning centered on the ecosystem effects of oyster aquaculture and restoration activities. It will cover all the potential ecosystem benefits and/or pitfalls of anthropogenic oyster planting and growing, including water filtration, biodeposition, nutrient transformation, reef building, establishment of associated biological communities and food webs, shoreline protection, etc. The goals of the session include quantitative assessment of work to date and discussion of future research needs.
The session leads include members of the CBP Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee, the CBP Oyster BMP Committee, and the NOAA ORES study, representing UMCES, VIMS, and NOAA.