DermoWatch : Monitoring the Health of Galveston Bay with

Oysters

Sammy M. Ray

Texas A&M University at Galveston

Thomas M. Soniat

Nicholls State University

Enrique V. Kortright

Kortright Corporation

Lance Robinson

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

DermoWatch is a:

web site (www.dermowatch.org) a monitoring program and an

online community for the management of the oyster parasite, Perkinsus marinus, and monitoring

freshwater inflows

Dermo Parasites in Thioglycollate medium tissue culture

DermoWatch oyster sampling sites for Gulf of Mexico

Recent Hot Spots for Dermo Infection in Gulf Oysters

Galveston Bay Oyster Sampling Sites

Most recent Dermo Infection data for Galveston Bay Oysters

Recent archived dermo disease data for oysters from Fisher’s Reef, Trinity Bay

Recent archived dermo disease data for oysters from Redfish, Galveston Bay

Recent archived dermo disease data for oysters from Confederate Reef, West Bay

Galveston Bay Oyster Reefs

West Bay Oyster Landings

Monitoring station provides real-time and continuous:

• water temperature and salinity

• water turbidity (total suspended solids)

• fluorescence (chlorophyll a)

• wind speed and direction

• solar radiation

• air temperature and humidity

• rainfall and barometric pressure

Biblical confirmation of the value of fresh water inflow to maintain

healthy baysEzekiel 47

The River From the TempleVerses 8-10

• He said to me, "This water flows towards the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Sea. When it empties into the Sea, the water there becomes fresh. Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds--like the fish of the Great Sea.

Texas Collaborators

Larry McKinney

Lance Robinson

Rebecca Hensley

Bill Balboa

Norman Boyd

James Simmons

Jan Culbertson

Jeri's Sea Food

John Adams

Greg Stunz

Rick Kalke