Environmental Studies Commons^™

Virginia's Chesapeake Bay, An Oyster Sanctuary, C. Andrew Denney

Environmental Studies Senior Seminar Projects

The Crassostrea virginica population in the Chesapeake Bay is now % of what it was during the 19^th century (Kimmel et al. 2007). This decline is the result of various harmful effects such as disease, nutrient pollution, acidification, hydrological change, habitat loss and over-harvesting (Ermgassen et al. 2013). The Eastern Oyster is particularly threatened by three threats, disease, acidification, and reduced water quality. C. virginicais negatively affected by these problems but is also capable of combating and/or mitigating these injuries toward the health and biodiversity of the Chesapeake Bay. The biodiversity of the bay is directly correlated with oyster …