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96 | INTRODUCTION The native oyster (Crassostrea virginica) is one of the Chesapeake Bay’s keystone species and of great ecological, economical, and historical importance in the Commonwealth. Fortunately, during the 2019 legislative session the General Assembly authorized an increased investment in efforts to improve the state’s fishery and ecological restoration of the Commonwealth’s oyster population. Both of these efforts support not only the maintenance of the states’ commercial fishery but also a wide array of ecosystem services provided by healthy oyster habitats. BACKGROUND The Chesapeake (meaning “great shellfish Bay” in Algonquin) Bay had historical oyster reefs so expansive they posed navigation hazards to explorers and watermen. With the ability of each adult oyster to filter up to 50 gallons of water per day, they are a key ingredient to removing pollution and increasing water quality in the Bay and its tributaries. The oyster population in the Bay was once so vast that the entire Bay, 19 trillion gallons of water, could be filtered in less than a week. The current population requires a whole year to filter the Bay. Oysters are a keystone species that build three- dimensional reefs which provide critical nursery habitat for many commercially important species such as blue crab and striped bass. Restoration is important to increasing the vitality of oyster populations by providing areas for reproduction which can spillover into nearby harvest bars and create disease resistant stocks. It is estimated that sanctuary oyster reefs provide 34 percent higher economic value over a 50- year period than traditionally harvested reefs because of their important ecosystem services. Fortunately, targeted successful restoration efforts are being implemented by a host of federal, state, and nongovernmental organizations to increase the oyster population and meet the oyster goal for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. In 2018, the Lafayette River was declared the first tributary in Virginia to meet the restoration metrics adopted by the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) after significant contributions by local partners, the state, and federal agencies. Restoration efforts will now be focused on other tributaries such as the Lynnhaven, Piankatank, Lower York, and Great Wicomico in order to meet the CBP goal of restoring 5 tributaries by 2025. With investments in oyster restoration and replenishment increasing there in a need to gain additional insight into the distribution and size of the state’s oyster population while also better gauging restoration success. In the end, this will lead to better management of the Commonwealth’s increasingly valuable oyster resource. Currently, the state only annually monitors harvest areas to provide information to help ensure the sustainability of the wild oyster fishery. Completing a more robust survey of the state’s oyster population will help target restoration efforts, provide information for fishery managers, and help ensure limited restoration funds are spent as efficiently as possible. CONCLUSION The Commonwealth has made a significant investment in successful efforts to rebuild the Bay’s oyster population. These efforts not only support Virginia’s wild oyster harvest but also Virginia’s oyster restoration goals under the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. These investments also provide multiple economic and ecological benefits including more robust oyster harvests, cleaner water, and increased habitat for economically important species such as blue crabs and striped bass. ASSESSING AND ENHANCING VIRGINIA'S OYSTER STOCK OYSTERS ARE A KEYSTONE SPECIES THAT BUILD THREE- DIMENSIONAL REEFS WHICH PROVIDE CRITICAL NURSERY HABITAT FOR MANY COMMERCIALLY IMPORTANT SPECIES SUCH AS BLUE CRAB AND STRIPED BASS. Chris Moore // Chesapeake Bay Foundation | Zachary Sheldon // The Nature Conservancy POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS To better gauge Virginia’s restoration successes and ensure both restoration and fishery management decisions are made with the best available information, the State budget should include robust funding to design and implement a stock assessment of the Commonwealth’s oyster population and continue to support its oyster restoration initiatives. A NATURAL OYSTER BED AS SEEN AT SUNSET ON THE LYNHAVEN INLET OFF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY, LOCATED IN VIRGINIA BEACH, VA. Image credit: Shutterstock PRESERVING AND ENHANCING WILDLIFE HABITATS AND FISHERIES
