LR Now Letter to Army Corp of Engineers. [2pg PDF]

LRNow’s position on introduction of non-native oysters in Ches Bay reprinted with permission:

Dear Lynnhaven River NOW members,

Everyone is looking at the Lynnhaven River’s recovering native oyster population with tremendous excitement.

Over the last 10 years, thousands of students and citizens have worked together with non-profits and governmental organizations to build oyster reefs in the Lynnhaven and to stock millions of reproductive oysters to the reefs. These community-raised oysters reproduce in the river, thus their babies also contribute to the Lynnhaven’s impressive developing oyster population. After only a decade of restoration activities, I am delighted to be able to report that all of this effort is working! Ten years ago, the Lynnhaven’s oyster population was estimated to be at about 1% of historic abundance, and recent calculations estimate that we may have already increased the Lynnhaven’s population to as much as 10% of historic abundance. That is a 10-fold increase in 10 years.

Well today, there is a major threat to our burgeoning native oyster population in the Lynnhaven River.

There is a heated debate underway right now with some parties favoring the introduction of a non-native oyster species to Chesapeake Bay waters. The Suminoe oyster, Crassostrea ariakensis, is the non-native oyster species under consideration. If this oyster is introduced into Chesapeake Bay waters, it will invade the Lynnhaven River and it will surely hinder the restoration of our native oyster population because Crassostrea ariakensis oysters interfere with native oyster reproduction, undermining the exciting oyster restoration progress in the Lynnhaven. In addition to jeopardizing our native oyster restoration efforts, Crassostrea ariakensis oysters harbor human pathogens more so than our native oyster, posing more risk for human consumption, and the Suminoe oyster may cause increased oyster disease risks to our existing native oysters. For these, and several additional reasons, Lynnhaven River NOW, together with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Oyster Reef Keepers of Virginia, and all of the nearby Mid-Atlantic states are saying “no” to introducing Crassostrea ariakensis to the Chesapeake Bay.

Please let the Army Corps of Engineers know that you oppose introducing Crassostrea ariakensis to the Chesapeake Bay.

Send a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers voicing your position. Comments may be submitted through December 15, 2008 and mailed to:

Department of the Army
Norfolk District, Corps of Engineers
Attn: Mr. Mark Mansfield
Chief, Planning and Policy Branch
803 Front Street
Norfolk, VA 23510-1096

or e-mailed to: Mark.T.Mansfield@usace.army.mil

Comments should reference the Draft PEIS. For more information visit http://www.nao.usace.army.mil/OysterEIS/homepage.asp

Comments need not be lengthy. Here are some more facts, in addition to those cited in the text above, that you may want to refer to when writing your letter but please feel free to compose your own letter as well:

  1. Introducing a of species is always risky, because you cannot predict how the species will function in a new ecosystem, however; once you have introduced them, there is no turning back. Look the environmental consequences of the introduction of Zebra Mussels, Kudzu, Phragmites, and Gypsy Moths, for some examples, plus the unsuccessful introduction a non-native oyster (Crassostrea Gigas) that only successfully introduced MSX oyster disease in the 1950’s, killing 90% of the Chesapeake Bay’s oysters at the time.

  2. The primary motivation for considering a non-native oyster introduction is that “oyster diseases (dermo & MSX) inhibit recovery of the native oyster population” – However, the Lynnhaven has some of the highest disease pressure Baywide, so if native oysters are recovering in the Lynnhaven, then the premise for introducing non-native oysters is flawed in the first place.

  3. C. ariakensis oysters are susceptible to a regional oyster disease, Bonamia, and could become a local harbor for this disease, putting all extant Chesapeake Bay native oysters at risk.

Make sure that you letter references the “Draft PEIS,” and that you state that you oppose introduction of the non-native oyster. Please also feel free to refer to the Lynnhaven River NOW public position letter for ideas.

Thank you for continuing to value and advance native oyster restoration in the Lynnhaven River!