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The Chesapeake Bay wetlands
Expensive Wildife Conservation Efforts Yield Mixed Results
June 04, 2008 10:26 AM
Chesapeake Bay’s oysters have declined despite lavish spending to restore them, while humpback whales, sea lions, and other species have rebounded thanks to conservation efforts.
30-Second Summary
Costly government efforts to restore the oyster population in the Chesapeake Bay have failed, according to The Washington Post, with potentially dire consequences for the Bay, oystermen and oyster-related business.
Government authorities so far have spent $58 million constructing artificial oyster reefs and stocking new populations, hoping to combat pollutants washing into the bay. But recent studies show continued declining numbers of both oysters and oystermen.
Many researchers say “the prognosis … is continued failure,” but scientists say they are seeking new strategies.
Meanwhile, conservation efforts for some other species have achieved considerably better results.
USA Today reports that humpback whales in the North Pacific were close to extinction, but have “made a dramatic comeback” over the past 40 years. From 2004 to 2006, the population rose to 18,000–20,000 in the North Pacific, compared to fewer than 1,500 in 1966.
Jeff Waters, of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale Marine Sanctuary, told USA Today, “It’s not a complete success, but it’s definitely very encouraging in terms of the recovery of the species.”
Sea lion populations have also benefited from conservation policy. Their population has grown in the Pacific Northwest since they were included under the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Even some oyster-restoration projects have met with success.
In Florida’s Mosquito Lagoon, The Nature Conservancy uses mesh mat as artificial habitat that “encourages new oysters to settle, increasing oyster growth and other wildlife that depend on the reefs.”
Government authorities so far have spent $58 million constructing artificial oyster reefs and stocking new populations, hoping to combat pollutants washing into the bay. But recent studies show continued declining numbers of both oysters and oystermen.
Many researchers say “the prognosis … is continued failure,” but scientists say they are seeking new strategies.
Meanwhile, conservation efforts for some other species have achieved considerably better results.
USA Today reports that humpback whales in the North Pacific were close to extinction, but have “made a dramatic comeback” over the past 40 years. From 2004 to 2006, the population rose to 18,000–20,000 in the North Pacific, compared to fewer than 1,500 in 1966.
Jeff Waters, of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale Marine Sanctuary, told USA Today, “It’s not a complete success, but it’s definitely very encouraging in terms of the recovery of the species.”
Sea lion populations have also benefited from conservation policy. Their population has grown in the Pacific Northwest since they were included under the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Even some oyster-restoration projects have met with success.
In Florida’s Mosquito Lagoon, The Nature Conservancy uses mesh mat as artificial habitat that “encourages new oysters to settle, increasing oyster growth and other wildlife that depend on the reefs.”
Headline Links: Chesapeake Bay conservation efforts fizzle
The Washington Post reports that expensive government efforts to restore the oyster population in the Chesapeake Bay have failed, threatening the future of the Bay, oystermen and oyster-related business. Scientists say one mistake was growing millions of oysters specifically so watermen could catch them, resulting in no new breeding stock. Many also believe that government-built oyster habitats were too short to help the creatures avoid being choked by bottom sediments. Many researchers say “the prognosis … is continued failure,” but academics and officials are looking for new oyster strategies.
Source: Washington Post
USA Today reports that humpback whales in the North Pacific Ocean have “made a dramatic comeback” over the past 40 years from the brink of extinction. In 1966, hunting was banned after the humpback population fell to fewer than 1,500. Estimates show that from 2004 to 2006, the population had grown to between 18,000 and 20,000 in the North Pacific.
Source: USA Today
In early May, six federally protected sea lions were found dead in a trap despite a court order temporarily prohibiting their killing. Sea lion populations have been growing in the Pacific Northwest since the Marine Mammal Protection Act went into effect in 1972, and are now so populous that some environmentalists and fishermen want them hunted to protect the salmon they feed on.
Source: findingDulcinea
Conservation groups say that more than one-quarter of the world’s wildlife has been lost since 1970, a rate unprecedented since the extinction of the dinosaurs. The populations of species have fallen by 25 percent on land, 28 percent in the oceans, and 29 percent in freshwater ecosystems, according to the Living Planet Index.
Source: findingDulcinea
Background: The trouble with the Chesapeake
As far back as 2003, officials questioned the effectiveness of oyster restoration projects in the Chesapeake Bay. Some found efforts to that point unsuccessful. Ron Franks of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources said, “The best science has been applied to restoration with less than positive outcomes.” However, others saw promising outcomes, and said success would come with time and persistence.
Source: Bay Journal
In 2005, National Geographic documented the decline of the Chesapeake Bay, including the plight of bay oysters, which “were abundant in 1948.” Since then, disease, pollution from farming, and “less urgency to make the bay healthy” have turned the bay into “the ecological equivalent of a morbidly obese person, force-fed nitrogen and phosphorus,” said the magazine.
Source: National Geographic
Related Topics: Other oyster efforts
In Florida’s Mosquito Lagoon, The Nature Conservancy has taken a different approach to oyster restoration: 18-inch mesh mats that “encourage new oysters to settle, increasing oyster growth and other wildlife that depend on the reefs.” The Conservancy provides a PDF document that explains why oysters have a greater chance for survival when they settle atop other oyster shells.
Source: Nature Conservancy
According to a New York Times article, oysters in Long Island, NY, waters are thriving and, in some cases, being used in place of their West Coast counterparts. The burgeoning emphasis on regional and local food “is leading people to discover New York area oystering grounds like Mecox Bay, Pipe’s Cover and Saddle Rock,” the article says.
Source: New York Times
Reference: Efforts to save the Bay
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation explains its efforts to restore oysters to the bay, provides photos of restoration efforts, and links to news clips regarding the topic.
Source: Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Learn about the proposed introduction of nonnative oysters into the Chesapeake Bay, the potential environmental impacts of the proposal, and scientific research regarding the risks and benefits of introducing the hardier Asian oyster to repopulate the bay.
Source: NOAA
© 2009 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
