Biological Efficiency of Spat Collection Devices Placed on Oyster Seed Areas in Maryland

摘要

Spatfall, when oyster larvae fall from the water column to attach themselves to some compatible medium where they will reside to grow their shells, occurs in its season in estuaries all over the world. In the Chesapeake Bay, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources plants oyster shells on the bottom in areas known to produce good quantities of spat. The attached spat are then moved to growing areas. In this project, various types of collectors and collector substrates were tested in the Chesapeake Bay for their ability to attract spat and provide a suitable growing environment for the oyster seeds, then compared by cost to other methods of acquiring seed: the current shell-planting program, hatchery-produced spat, and seed for sale from more productive spatfall areas. If cost-effective, aquaculture techniques might be used to shore up declining oyster harvests in the once bountiful estuary.