Selecting a Better Oyster (Part 2): Back from the Brink
Bringing oysters and industry back after almost a century of disease decimated wild populations was part science, part serendipity.
Bringing oysters and industry back after almost a century of disease decimated wild populations was part science, part serendipity.
VASG-funded researchers want to improve the bottom line for Virginia’s oyster growers by selectively breeding oysters with more profitable traits.
As aquaculture efforts expand in Virginia and Maryland, the potential for use conflicts between aquaculture and other uses of the
Virginia’s shellfish growers sold 28.1 million oysters and 171 million clams in 2012, according to an annual survey of shellfish aquaculture operations in the state. Those numbers represent a 21 percent increase in oyster sales, while clam sales have remained fairly stable over the past few years.
The “Virginia Shellfish Aquaculture Situation and Outlook Report” has been produced annually by