Transcript King

NOAA’s Non-native Oyster
Research Program
in Support of an EIS
Jamie L. King, Ph.D.
NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office
November 16, 2006
Science, Service, & Stewardship
NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office
To Introduce or Not to Introduce?
Economic damages associated with alien
invasive species in the United States:
Cost of $120 billion/year (Pimentel et al. 2004)
Species introduced as food crops or
livestock provide >98% of U.S. food
supply: Value of $800 billion/year
(US
Bureau of the Census 1998)
A review of case studies of intentional
shellfish introductions indicates that there
are both benefits and risks dependent on
the region (National Research Council 2003)
Proposed Oyster Introduction
 Joint Maryland/Virginia Proposal
 Crassostrea ariakensis (Asian or Suminoe oyster)
 ”Oregon strain” or “West Coast ariakensis (WCA)”
 Purpose: Oyster population that would support sustainable
harvests comparable to harvest levels 1920-1970
 Potential inter-state issues, effects beyond Chesapeake Bay
 EIS Lead Agencies: Army Corps of Engineers
Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources
Virginia Marine Resources Commission
 Cooperating Agencies: NOAA, USEPA, USF&WS
Current EIS Activities
 Research
• Research projects underway since 2004
• Funding from NOAA, MDNR, VASG, PRFC
 Ecological Risk Assessment
• Identifying ecological risk factors
• Developing qualitative/quantitative estimates of
risk
 Developing Assessment Tools
• Demographic model
• Larval dispersal model
• Filtration and water quality modeling
NOAA Research Program
 3-year, $6M competitive research program
 Designed to support information needs of
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
 Priorities identified by NRC and STAC
 Funded FY04-FY06
 Work continues through late 2007 - early 2008
Biological Research Topics
1. Understanding C. ariakensis in its native range
• Taxonomy, population genetics, pathogens, ecology
2. Potential for population growth/sustainability
• Data to parameterize demographic & larval transport models
3. Susceptibility to known diseases
• Bonamia, MSX, Dermo, Herpes virus, Polydora (shell disease)
4. Interactions with native oyster
• Competition, hybridization, gamete sink
5. Human consumption risks
• Uptake/clearance of bacterial, viral, protozoan human pathogens
6. Potential to be fouling nuisance or invasive
7. Ecosystem services
• Reef building, water filtration, food web dynamics
Economic Research Topics
 Product quality and marketability
• shelf life, taste tests, consumer acceptance
 Production or implementation costs
• hatchery seed production costs
• infrastructure capital investments
• industry buy-out, enforcement
 Economic feasibility
• feasibility of various production methods
(aquaculture, leased grounds, public fishery)
 Economic impacts
• dockside value, jobs, secondary revenue
• dollar value of nutrient reductions
Institutions Involved in Research
University of Maryland
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•
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UMCES Horn Point Laboratory
UMCES Chesapeake Biological Lab
Biotechnology Institute, COMB
College Park
Virginia Institute of Marine Science
• Gloucester Point
• Eastern Shore Laboratory
Smithsonian Env. Research Center
Harbor Branch Oceanographic
Institute of Oceanology Chinese
Academy of Sciences
Rutgers University
• Haskin Shellfish Research Lab
University of North Carolina
• Institute of Marine Science
North Carolina
• Division of Marine Fisheries
Johns Hopkins University
• Bloomberg School Public Health
Cooperative Oxford Lab
Main Street Economics
Hainan University
Quarterly Reviews
Spring 2005
Summer 2005
Fall 2005
Winter 2006
Spring 2006
Summer 2006
Various topics – taxonomy, disease, etc.
Aquaculture alternatives
Potential for interspecific interactions
Human health risks
NSA session (JSR volume in prep.)
Comparative growth & mortality
• Rapidly share information for discussion/synthesis
• Build consensus on what we do/don’t know
• Modify projects underway to maximize utility of data
Available online at http://noaa.chesapeakebay.net
Taxonomy & Genetics
 Development of diagnostic molecular tools  now able
to discriminate among Crassostrea species in Asia
 2 species have been called C. ariakensis
 True C. ariakensis has 2 strains: northern and southern
 “Oregon strain” has less genetic diversity than wild
C. ariakensis
Oyster Diseases
 C. ariakensis acquires Dermo, but does not die from
infection (data limited to “ideal” aquaculture conditions)
 2 Bonamia species discovered in North Carolina,
only 1 infects C. ariakensis
 Small C. ariakensis (<40mm) experience mass
mortalities, larger oysters are less susceptible
Life History & Ecology
 Larval behavior
C. ariakensis – at the bottom
C. virginica – upper water column
 Substrate preference
Both species prefer natural substrates
C. ariakensis is 10x more likely to settle on fiberglass
 Fertilization
Cross-fertilization, but inviable hybrid offspring
Gamete sink will occur if spawning is synchronous
Life History & Ecology
 Early post-settlement growth
Evidence for interspecific competition for space
 Later growth rates
High salinity: C. ariakensis >>> C. virginica
Low salinity: C. ariakensis > C. virginica
 C. ariakensis seems to exhibit:
Extended growing season in winter months (November – January)
Susceptibility to low dissolved oxygen
Inability to tolerate intertidal exposure
Aquaculture – Native oyster
 Little investment in research & development to promote
native oyster aquaculture in the mid-Atlantic
 C. virginica triploids showing better growth, survival, and
meat quality relative to diploids
Virginia field trials: 22-78% of triploids market size in 18 months
Aquaculture – C. ariakensis
 Bioeconomic analysis of triploid C. ariakensis in NC
suggests profitability is possible under certain conditions
 Industry trials with triploids underway in Chesapeake Bay
 Concerns about C. ariakensis shelf life –
gaping, shell splintering/cracking, leaking or “bleeding”
 Similar rates of Polydora (mud worm) infestations, but
C. ariakensis exhibits more mud blisters and knobs
EIS Evaluations = Synthesis
Potential for C. ariakensis – C. virginica interactions
 Larval Substrate Selection
• Both species prefer to settle on natural substrates (shell, granite) 
Likely they will settle together and co-occur
 Post-settlement Competition
• Both species have slower growth rates when crowded, and growth
rates decrease further with interspecific competition 
Likely they will compete for space
 Fertilization Interference
• Inviable hybrid offspring result in >50% reduction in reproductive
capacity of each species 
Likely they will have greatly diminished reproductive output
http://noaa.chesapeakebay.net/
[email protected]
410-267-5655
Science, Service, & Stewardship
NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office