TWENTY-FOURTH ANNUAL EASTERN FISH HEALTH WORKSHOP Royal Pavilion Resort, Atlantic Beach, NC MARCH 9-11, 1999 Maryland's Chesapeake Bay Oysters: Health, Environment And Management Stephen J. Jordan and Mark L. Homer Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Paul S. Sarbanes Cooperative Oxford Labroatory, 904 S. Morris Street, Oxford MD 21654 Maryland’s oyster landings averaged 2.5 million bushels (bu.) from 1916-1982, and 500,000 bu. from 1983-1996, with a low of 70,000 bu. in 1993-1994. Since 1940, annual averages of 5 million bu. of shell and 500,000 bu. of seed oysters have been employed in the oyster repletion program. In the late 1980's and early 1990's, facing greatly expanded impacts of oyster parasites, management became focused on seed production and improving survival to harvestable size. The program achieved moderate success by producing seed oysters in high salinity areas and transplanting to low salinity areas where parasites were less virulent, thereby maintaining a remnant of the traditional fishery. During the most recent harvest decline, stock assessment and disease research were improved, helping to clarify restoration priorities: e.g., management attention has shifted in part to restoring habitat in recovering areas. A new action plan emphasizes mariculture and research, and fosters cooperation among constituencies. A range of restoration and enhancement programs are striking a balance between the commercial fishery and the ecological functions of oyster populations. It will take a decade or more to evaluate whether the fishery and the resource can be restored to their former importance, given large year-to-year environmental variations in the Chesapeake. Enhancing recruitment and survival, through a combination of manipulating natural populations and expanding private culture, will be essential. Return to 24th Annual Eastern Fish Health Workshop Return to Leetown Science Center Home Page