A Brief History of the Proposed Introduction
Environmental Impact Statement
Scientific Guidance for the EIS
Research, Quarterly Reviews, and Publications
Possible Risks and Benefits
Invasive Species
Policy

More than a century of decline in abundance of the native eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, in the Chesapeake Bay has led to the collapse of a formerly productive fishery and the loss of significant ecological benefits. This page provides a more information about the proposal to introduce the Asian oyster into Chesapeake Bay and the reasons behind the decline of the native oyster.

In response to the proposal by Maryland and Virginia to introduce reproductive C. ariakensis into the Chesapeake Bay, the U.S. Congress directed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in cooperation with NOAA, EPA, and FWS, to prepare a programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). This page contains information about the process of developing an EIS, progress to date on the EIS for the proposed introduction of C. ariakensis in to the Bay, and links to information about research underway to help support the risk assessment for this EIS.

Federal resource agencies, environmental groups, and scientists concerned about the possible risks associated with a non-native introduction have urged a cautious approach including several years of focused research to answer key questions about the Asian oyster. Efforts are under way to answer many of the questions that exist about the biology and ecology of C. ariakensis, and the potential impacts an introduction of this non-native oyster might have. This page includes links to key reports and research initiatives.

NOAA is serving as a cooperating agency on the EIS to ensure that adequate scientific input is included in the assessment and decision making process. From 2004 through 2006, in response to Congressional direction, the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office (NCBO) funded a non-native oyster research program at $2 million annually. This program was designed to meet the research priorities identified in the NRC and STAC reports. This page contains links to information about the projects that have been funded through this program, as well as those funded by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Virginia Sea Grant.

Research results are reviewed quarterly at meetings sponsored by NCBO. These quarterly review sessions are desined to facilitate timely discussions of research results among scientists and managers, and speed the transfer of information to the EIS evaluation process. Links to all of the Non-native Oyster Quarterly Review reports are located at the bottom of the page.

The possible risks and benefits of introducing C. ariakensis are explored in a presentation and a fact sheet entitled Crassostrea ariakensis:Panacea or Pandora? Written by Dr. Mark Luckenbach (VIMS) and distributed through the Integration and Application Network (IAN) .

Invasive species cause approximately $120 billion dollars per year in environmental damage nationwide. It is not known if Crassostrea ariakensis, if introduced, would become an invasive species or not. However even the possibility that it might has scientists and policy makers cautious about going ahead with an introduction. Read more about the issues surrounding the introduction of invasive species on local, national, and international scales.

This page contains policy and position statements on the issue of the introduction of a non-native oyster into the Chesapeake Bay from NOAA, as well as other agencies and organizations in the Bay watershed.

¹ Pimentel, David, R. Zuniga and D. Morrison (2005). Update on the environmental and economic costs associated with alien-invasive species in the United States. Ecological Economics. 52(3):273-288.