Diet for a Sustainable Ecosystem: The Science for Recovering the Health of the Chesapeake Bay and its People

430 Pages·2020·30.533 MB·English

by  Benjamin E. Cuker

Estuaries of the World
Benjamin E. Cuker  Editor
Diet for a
Sustainable
Ecosystem
The Science for Recovering the Health of the Chesapeake
Bay and its People
Estuaries of the World
SeriesEditor
Jean-PaulDucrotoy,TheUniversityofHull,Hull,UK
Estuaries are amongst the most endangered areas in the world. Pollution, eutrophication,
urbanization,landreclamation;overfishingandexploitationcontinuouslythreatentheirfuture.
The major challenge that humans face today is managingtheiruse, so that future generations
can also enjoy the fantastic visual, cultural and edible products that they provide. Such an
approachpresupposesthatallusersoftheenvironmentshareviewsandareabletocommuni-
catewiselyonthebasisofrobustscience.Theneedforrobustscienceispressing.Overthelast
decade there have been numerous advances in both understanding and approach to estuaries
and more and more multidisciplinary studies are now available. The available scientific
informationhascomefromamultiplicityofcasestudiesandprojectslocalandnationallevels.
Regionalandglobalprogramshavebeendeveloped;somearebeingimplementedandsomeare
in evolution. However, despite the rapidly increasing knowledge about estuarine ecosystems,
crucial questions on the causes of variability and the effects of global change are still poorly
understood. Although the perception of politicians and managers of coasts is slowly shifting
from a mainly short-term economic approach towards a long-term economic – ecological
perspective, there is a need to make existing scientific information much more manageable
by non-specialists, without compromising the quality of the information. The book series
includes volumes of selected invited papers and is intended for researchers, practitioners,
undergraduateandgraduatestudentsinalldisciplineswhoaredealingwithcomplexproblems
andlookingforcutting-edgeresearchaswellasmethodologicaltoolstosetuptrulytransversal
scienceandtechnologyprojects,suchastherestorationofdamagedhabitats.
Moreinformationaboutthisseriesathttp://www.springer.com/series/11705
Benjamin E. Cuker
Editor
Diet for a Sustainable
Ecosystem
The Science for Recovering the Health
of the Chesapeake Bay and its People
Editor
BenjaminE.Cuker
DepartmentofMarineandEnvironmentalScience
HamptonUniversity
Hampton,Virginia,USA
ISSN2214-1553 ISSN2214-1561 (electronic)
EstuariesoftheWorld
ISBN978-3-030-45480-7 ISBN978-3-030-45481-4 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45481-4
#SpringerNatureSwitzerlandAG2020
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This work is dedicated to Dawn, Aaron, Lydia, Lindsay, Ava, Slocum, and
Ainslie, and to the memory of Mina, Sy, Sam, Vladimir, Tovi, Tasha, and
Scupper.
Preface
Thisbookemergedfromthemergingoffourofmypassions.
Passion one, aquatic sciences and sustainability I came of age in the 1960s before the
passage of the Clean Water Act of 1972. I was a sophomore in high school when we first
celebrated Earth Day in 1970. It was a time of contradictions. One day the media showed
imagesofOhio’sCayugaRiver alight, hydrocarbons onitssurface fedsmokyfires. Thenext
evening Jacques Cousteau would light up the family’s first color television with beautiful
imagesofpristine tropical coral reefsteemingwith thebright paletteoflife.Growingup,my
familyvacationsoftenmeantaweekinawatersidecabinwitharowboattoexplorethelakeor
coastalestuary.Allthisfosteredmyloveofthewateryworldandthedesiretostudyitwithan
eyetopreservingthenaturalwondersforfuturegenerations.
AsagraduatestudentIstudiedlakesinArcticAlaskaandwastheretotakebottomsamplesa
dayafterthefirstpondontheNorthSlopewasspoiledbyablownvalveofthenewlyopened
Trans-AlaskaPipeline.
In 1981, my first academic job brought me to Shaw University, in Raleigh, NC. There I
studiedtheeffectsofsedimentpollutionontheecologyofasmallreservoir.In1988,Imovedto
HamptonUniversityontheshoresofHamptonRoads,nearthemouthoftheChesapeakeBay.I
studiedvariousaspectsoftheBay,butspentmuchofmyeffortonunderstandingitseutrophi-
cation(responsetoexcessnutrients,primarilyfromthefoodsystem).
Passion two, diversity I had the good fortune of spending my teenage years in Detroit,
Michigan. My family moved into that city a week after the Detroit uprising of 1967. We
wereoneofthefewwhitefamiliestoresisttheflighttothesuburbsintheensuingyears.Iwas
one of six white students to graduate from Mumford High School in 1972, the rest of my
classmates being African American. This gave me some insight into issues of social and
environmental justice as well as the importance of diversity, which went on to inform my
career.Ihaveenjoyed38yearsofteachingathistoricallyblackuniversities.Iambestknownin
theworldofaquaticsciencesforfoundingtheAssociationfortheSciencesofLimnologyand
Oceanography’sMulticulturalProgram(ASLOMP)in1990.ThisNationalScienceFoundation
funded program continues today, each year bringing 70 or so diverse students to the annual
meetings of the society. The success of ASLOMP led to the honor of being named a Pew
Fellow in Marine Conservation in 1999. That award funded what became a nine-year long
programcalledMulticulturalStudentsatSeaTogether(MAST).Between2000and2008,every
summerItookadozendiversestudentsfromacrosstheUSAonamonth-longexplorationof
the Chesapeake Bay aboard a ketch-rigged sailboat. This included a rigorous study of the
distribution of oxygen and chlorophyll levels, marine policy, seamanship, and the role of
AfricanAmericansandNativeAmericansontheBay.
Passionthree,foodforthehealthofpeopleandtheplanet WhenIstartedmyundergradu-
atestudiesattheUniversityofMichiganin1972,Iheardtheechoesofaspeechdeliveredthere
byFrancesMooreLappétheprecedingyear,wheresheintroducedherrevolutionarybook,Diet
vii
viii Preface
for a Small Planet. While never formally addressed in courses of that era, classmates in the
School ofNaturalResources talkedalotabouthowfoodinformedourlivesandtheenviron-
ment.IjoinedthePeople’sFoodCo-opthatservicedtheAnnArborcommunity.AtMichiganI
also met my future wife, Dawn Gerbing, who was a vegetarian. It took an elevated blood
pressure reading for me to also become a vegetarian in 2002, yet I continued to eat dairy,
seafood, and occasionally eggs. It was not till I began teaching an honor’s seminar in 2009
called,EatingforaHealthyYouandaSustainablePlanet,thatItookaseriouslookatallthe
new science surrounding dietary choices. It became clear that my dozen years as a pesca-
vegetarianwasnotsufficienttosustainmyownhealthorthatoftheenvironment,andIadopted
awholeplant-baseddietin2014,attheageof59.Thisbroughtmeintomysixthdecadewitha
newsenseofhealthandvitality.Ilostweight,andachievedlowbloodcholesterollevels.Ifelt
thebestIeverhadinmylife.Becomingveganalsoopenedmyeyestothesystematicmisery
visited upontheanimalsraisedfor food,somethingnecessarytoignorefor those eatingmeat
anddairy.
Passionfour IdiscoveredthejoysofsailboatsduringmyPh.D.studiesatNorthCarolinaState
University.UponrelocatingtoHamptonUniversityin1988,Ifoundmyselfontheshoreofthe
Chesapeake Bay, with all of its possibilities for exploration. My family and I became ardent
cruisersandracers.Thisallowedmetoseetheecosystemanditsfoodsysteminvariedmoods
andseasons,gainingexperiencesbeyondwhatIcouldgetfromsamplingparticularstationsor
readingpapersabouttheBay.WhilesailingtheBayIregularlysharethewaterswithcrabbers,
oystertongers,andfishersworkinggillnets.Morethanoncewefoundourselvestangledinan
unlitpoundnetwhilemakingpassageonadarknight.Andofcourse,likeeveryothersailoron
theBay,wehavesnaggedourshareoftetheredcrabpotbuoys.Wehavesmelledthesugarships
longbeforewepassedthemoffloadingtheirsweetbrowngranulesinBaltimore’sInnerHarbor.
AndwehaveexperiencedthestenchofmenhadenrenderingwhilesailingintoReedvillemore
times than we care to recall. On one cruise to the Eastern Shore we brought our bicycles to
explorethelandscape,onlytobesprayedwithherbicidebyalow-flyingcropdusterworking
the cornfields through which we passed. Too often we have sailed through algal blooms but
mustadmittotakingdelightintheirbioluminescentglowduringnightpassages.
Combining thepassionsintothisbook Myfour passionsledtothecreationofthis book.I
clearlysawhowourfoodsystemshapedtheChesapeakeBayecosystemandthatremakingour
relationshipwithnutritionwasrequiredifweweretoreturntheestuarytoitsformermajesty.I
alsowitnessedthedeclineofthehealthofthepeoplelivingaroundtheBayoverthelastthree
decades. So many of my fellow Bay residents suffer obesity, diabetes, and related diseases
broughtonbythemeat-sweetStandardAmericanDiet.Thisisparticularlytruefortheregion’s
most vulnerable residents, the poor and people of color. And people of color do much of the
essential and difficult work that keeps the food system running, often with low pay and poor
workingconditions.InthisbookInotethespecialrelationshipbetweenpeopleofcolorandthe
foodsystem.
To help me create this work I assembled a diverse team of authors and coauthors. The
20 collaborators includes 15 women, 8 people of color, well-established scientists, mid and
early career researchers, retired experts, and several students. I particularly sought women as
collaborators,inkeepingwiththethemeofaneco-feministworldview.
IhopethatthisvolumehelpsreadersunderstandtheChesapeakeBayandthefoodsystemin
a new way that enables them to imagine a healthier and more sustainable approach for the
future.Thebookwillchallengeitsreaderstoconsidertheirownrelationshipwithfoodandthe
environment. Although the Chesapeake Bay is at the heart of this narrative, the story should
informtheunderstandingofthenexusoffoodsystems,society,andaquaticecosystemsaround
theplanet.
Hampton,VA,USA BenjaminE.Cuker
September20,2019
Acknowledgments
Manycolleaguesandfriendsmadepossiblethecreationofthisbook.Ithankthefundersofmy
professionalactivitiesovertheyearsthatprovidedtheexperienceessentialforassemblingthis
volume.ThisincludestheNationalScienceFoundation,ThePewFellowsPrograminMarine
Conservation,theUSArmy Corps of Engineers,andThe NationalOceanicandAtmospheric
Administration. I owe my gratitude to the coauthors (named below) who contributed to this
volume.Muchthankstothecolleagueswhoprovidedreviewsofthechapters,includingGreg
Cutter, Nicholas DiPasquale, Michael Fine, Ted Henifin, Vic Kennedy, Rom Lipcius, Terran
Niedrauer, Pete Sheridan, Leila Rice and Rosemary Ziemba. Dawn Gerbing, Ruth Belcastro
and Alison Smith contributedcopyediting and research assistance.Dawn Gerbing andAndrij
Horodysky provided stimulating discussion of the material. Rosemary Ziemba, a friend from
myhigh school years inDetroithelped inspire thiseffortafter sheinvitedmetojoin her asa
coauthor on a book chapter addressing water pollution, human health, and the role of health
care providers. From Springer, Eva Loerinczi provided kind guidance and encouragement. S.
Padmashri and Abinay Subramaniam proved essential for turning the manuscript into a
published volume. The authors of the oyster chapter thank Andrew Button, Karen Hudson,
GailScottandClaraRobisonfortheirassistanceandnotethattheireffortisVIMScontributions
#3920.Finally,muchthankstomywifeandlifepartnerDawnGerbingforfacilitatingthelong
hours devoted to this effort, for encouraging the work, and for providing the intellectual
stimulationthathelpednurturetheproject.
ix
Contents
PartI IntroductionandBackground
Introduction:StartingtheJourneytoaSustainableEcosystemandHealthy
People. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
BenjaminE.CukerandKathrynMacCormick
TheBayandItsWatershed:AVoyageBackinTime. . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . 17
BenjaminE.Cuker
ScientificConceptsforUnderstandingtheHealthoftheChesapeakeBay
andItsPeople. .. . . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. . . .. . . 31
BenjaminE.Cuker
PartII FoundationsoftheChesapeakeBayFoodSystemandtheConsequences
ofOver-Extraction
TheAlgonquinFoodSystemandHowItShapedtheEcosystemandInteractions
withtheEnglishColonistsoftheChesapeakeBay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
BenjaminE.CukerandKathrynMacCormick
AFishingTrip:ExploitingandManagingtheCommonsoftheChesapeake
Bay.. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . 67
BenjaminE.CukerandMatthewBalazik
Menhaden,theInedibleFishthatMostEveryoneEats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
BenjaminE.Cuker
BlueCrabs:BeautifulSavorySwimmersoftheChesapeakeBay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
RochelleD.Seitz
TheChesapeakeBayOyster:CobblestonetoKeystone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
KimberlyS.Reece,EugeneM.Burreson,DeidreM.Gibson,SierraS.Hildebrandt,
andIleanaFenwick
PassengerPigeonandWaterfowl:FlightstoExtinctionandNot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
BenjaminE.Cuker
PartIII Industrial-ChemicalAgricultureReshapestheBay’sEcosystem
TheJourneyfromPeruvianGuanotoArtificialFertilizerEndswithTooMuch
NitrogenintheChesapeakeBay. . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . 177
BenjaminE.CukerandJefferyCornwell
PesticidesBringtheWaronNaturetotheChesapeakeBay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
BenjaminE.Cuker,InduSharma,KendraDorsey,OliveraStojilovic,NefertitiSmith,
andAndrewJustice
xi