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Rehabilitation Of The Troubled Oyster Industry Of The Lower Chesapeake Bay, William J. Hargis Jr., Dexter S. Haven

VIMS Articles

After 1885 Virginia's lower Chesapeake Bay system produced more oysters per year than any other area in the United States and remained predominant until 1960. Since then she has surrendered supremacy as annual harvests of her troubled oyster industry have steadily declined. Numerous factors were responsible for the tremendous productivity of the lower Bay's oyster beds; a number have been involved in its decline. Natural events, such as the catastrophic epizootics of the early 1960's, continuing disease and predation, increased salinities of drought years and great freshets of tropical storms have contributed significantly to the reduction. Pollution and other man-related …