The Chesapeake Bay of Maryland, Virginia has been a leading supplier of oysters in its surrounding areas, as well as various parts of the world. Its renown as a world-class oyster manufacturer has been declared by native Americans in the area as a “great shellfish bay.” Since the 1700s, people have been known to harvest oysters in Chesapeake.
Since that time, people have been enjoying the livelihood that the activity has been giving, and the various types of cuisine and delicacy that are sprouting from it. Truly, the area has been known by tourists to be a good place to visit because of the prominence of the oyster industry that thrives within the already. Recently, however, the capability of maintaining such a world-renowned status has been showing a huge decline.
Delving Into The Case
In this article, the reasons why such a depressing event is happening will be partially discussed, and a detailed discussion about how the oyster productivity of the area can be restored will be presented. The main reasons why such a decline is happening appears to be due to pollution, over-harvesting, aquatic diseases (such as MSX-Multinucleated Sphere Unknown and Dermo), sedimentation, and poor water quality.
This means that restoring the oyster productiveness of the bay would be a very laborious chore – one that requires thorough investigation, analysis, and a meticulous array of method execution.
Since the decline of oyster production in Chesapeake has been going on for decades already, it can be easily understood that the restoration needed for it could not simply happen in a span of a few years. A set of methods crafted in a truly scientific way must be given and must be evaluated in the following hypothetical approaches.
Hypothesis 1: Optimizing Seawater Salinity
To solve the declining oyster growth in Chesapeake, the methods to be applied must be reshaped whenever errors are spotted and be tested again. Only then can a viable and feasible solution be drawn for the benefit of the oyster industry of the area, as well as the individuals who greatly rely on the oyster production of the area for a living. The suggested methods for such an approach involve checking the salinity of the waters in the area so that parasites can be neutralized so that in effect, they can do the least possible harm to the oysters.
The most obviously simple way to increase seawater salinity is of course to rehabilitate the underwater vegetative state of the area. This can be done by regrowing the ideal seaweeds there in a balanced state. This means that the proper balance of vegetation must be implemented.
Since salinity is also about the evaporation of water into the air and having a constant fresh supply of flowing water from springs and rivers, such a process must take place continuously. It also means that such a flow of water must also come from non-polluted sources. Such a process could result in a healthier state of the underwater vegetation that needs to be restored, which in effect can improve the health of the marine ecosystem of the place.
Consequently, a much better salinity level can be achieved which cannot only be beneficial for the oysters of Chesapeake but for other marine organisms as well. The suggested salinity level ideal for oysters is between 14-28 ppt. Such a level must be attained and when done so already, it must be monitored and checked, regularly.
Hypothesis 2: Neutralizing Over-harvesting of Oysters
While still in the process of rehabilitation, harvesting oysters must be kept very minimal. This is a very crucial element to the entire process because it will give ample time for the oysters themselves to grow significantly to the point where they can give a stream of supply that can be sustainable for extended periods.
According to a 2020 update by Maryland's Oyster Stock Assessment by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, there has been a downsizing of 400 million market-size oyster production of the area. It can be noted from such a piece of published information that since 1999, there has been an increase of 80% of seafood harvest of Chesapeake which highly includes oysters since it is the area’s most important commodity.
Since it is impossible to totally stop harvesting oysters there, though such a solution would be ideal for a while, the best remedy is to regulate how many oysters are taken and consumed. To give time for the oysters to richly thrive once more, a suggested rate of 50-55% of harvest rate should be implemented.
This should be enough time for them to grow at an ideal rate and be consumed by the public. Anything lower than that would be impossible since the people, as well as the industry that depends on it, would find it hard to immediately adjust.
When the ideal number of oysters is already met, that doesn’t mean that over-harvesting can be resumed already. The key idea behind it is that over-harvesting must not be considered at all at any point in time. If more oysters are meant to be harvested, it only means that they must be reproduced much more strategically through healthy and sustainable means.
Hypothesis 3: Minimizing Algae Bloom
Because they can produce toxins that can greatly harm humans, animals, as well as the overall health of an aquatic ecosystem, the bloom of algae in Chesapeake must be looked into and regulated. Regulating it must be the term because stopping it totally would be a big impossibility.
If their growth can be brought to a significant decrease, it would greatly increase the chances of the oysters repopulating harmoniously. The effect of algae bloom in oysters is one of the most dramatic events in marine life. It is a known fact that oysters are very efficient in detecting the level of toxicity that the growing algae nearby is giving.
When harmful algal blooms (HABs) are thriving near them, the oysters will temporarily stop feeding themselves because doing so would also mean absorbing the toxins that the algae are giving. This can clearly decrease the population growth of the oysters, thereby hurting the economy of Chesapeake.
One of the reasons why algae blooms happen is due to the incessant usage of phosphorous-rich fertilizers. The substance is in fact very helpful for plants because it can greatly aid photosynthesis and promote energy transfer among the biological components of botanical species. However, it can also aid the rapid growth of algae which are technically plants as well.
To prevent them from growing more than they should, the usage of fertilizers with lesser phosphorous content must be promoted. Farmers nearby, as well as anyone who habitually uses fertilizers in the area, must be encouraged to use those that only has a 0.05 ph level which is considered to be the safest level for aquatic lifeforms should those fertilizers reach watery areas.
Another ideal method is to implement only water-soluble fertilizers. This will make it easier for nature to dissipate the toxins that fertilizers might give the bodies of water nearby, as well as to the lifeforms that dwell within them.
Alternative Remedy
One of the best ways to totally solve the decline of oyster production in Chesapeake is perhaps, an awareness campaign aimed at the people who reside in the area, as well as the tourists and industry-owners that thrive therein. If the tourism officials, as well as the government leaders, will courageously promote the image of how glorious Chesapeake was as an oyster-production capital, the public will naturally follow as the residents of the area can discern how beneficial it will be for them if the place will reclaim its once world-class status.
Such an awareness drive must include the creation of multimedia projects that the people in charge can promote to various online platforms such as social media where people of all kinds habitually flock.
Because digital visuals can greatly influence people’s mindsets these days, they should be employed relentlessly across various internet platforms so that even those who haven’t visited Chesapeake can also appreciate how valuable marine life is to the area, most specifically to the oyster production that takes place within it.
Conclusion
If the above-mentioned hypotheses are studied, and the prospective solutions that can be derived out of them are implemented, there is little doubt that the declining oyster production of Chesapeake will not be solved. Clearly, the solution to the problem only revolves around the implementation of such methods.
Optimizing the salinity means having cleaner water which also means a cleaner environment for the oysters themselves. While it is impossible to truly attain a super-clean water level, having an aquatic environment that is saline enough is not that impossible to attain. To further reinforce the idea, the growth of harmful lifeforms such as algae must also be regulated.
In addition to such methods, one of the best ways to fully restore the oyster production glory of Chesapeake must also rely on awareness campaigns. If the people, who are often the root of the problem can be re-educated with the benefits of the area’s oyster-manufacturing capabilities, they will be motivated once more to help in propagating the glorious reputation of the place.
