Oysters : biology, consumption, and ecological importance

140 Pages·2014·35.652 MB·English

by  Turner, Judith P

publishers
Oysters:
Biology, Consumption and Ecological Importance
Judith P. Turner

MARINE BIOLOGY

O
YSTERS

B , C
IOLOGY ONSUMPTION AND
E I
COLOGICAL MPORTANCE

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M B
ARINE IOLOGY

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MARINE BIOLOGY

O
YSTERS

B , C
IOLOGY ONSUMPTION AND
E I
COLOGICAL MPORTANCE

JUDITH P. TURNER
EDITOR

New York
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CONTENTS

Preface vii
Chapter 1 Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) Aquaculture
and Diversity of Associated Species 1
Gulnihal Ozbay, Brian Reckenbeil,
Frank Marenghi and Patrick Erbland
Chapter 2 The Cadmium Conundrum in British Columbian
Oysters: Economics, Ecotoxicology and Ethics 59
L. I. Bendell
Chapter 3 From Indo-Pacific to Atlantic Ocean:
Problemsand Risks Related to an Exotic Oyster
Introduction Case 75
Mauro André Damasceno de Melo
and Guilherme da Cruz Santos Neto
Chapter 4 Spionid Polychaetes Expand Their
Distribution by Accompanying Oyster
Shells during Transportation 95
Waka Sato-Okoshi and Kenji Okoshi
Index 121

PREFACE

Oyster reefs provide valuable habitat for many ecologically and
economically important species, as well as stabilizing benthic and intertidal
habitats. Their bioactivity and structure creation leads to a greater abundance
and diversity of other aquatic species. This book focuses on the eastern
oyster's aquaculture and diversity of associated species; the cadmium
conundrum in British Columbian oysters; the problems and risks related to an
exotic oyster introduction case; and the expansion of distribution among
spionid polychaetes by accompanying oyster shells during transportation.
Chapter 1 – The eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, is a keystone
species with the well-documented ability to provide ecological services,
environmental enrichment, and commercial value. Oyster reefs provide
valuable habitat for many ecologically and economically important species, as
well as stabilizing benthic and intertidal habitats. Oysters drive benthic-pelagic
coupling as they filter suspended particles from the water and their deposits
enrich benthic communities and increase carbon sequestration. Their
bioactivity and structure creation leads to a greater abundance and diversity of
other aquatic species.
A dramatic decline in the eastern oyster populations of the Mid-Atlantic
and Gulf Coast of the United States has been well documented since the late
1800s. This decline is often attributed to anthropogenic actions including
overharvesting, habitat degradation, and reduction in water quality. Increased
sedimentation and runoff resulting eutrophication and subsequent hypoxia
caused by ever-increasing land use and development have impacted the eastern
oyster throughout their range. Dermo and MSX diseases caused massive
mortality in the past and continue to suppress recovery of eastern oyster
populations. Diminished oyster abundances and the critical ecosystem services
viii Judith P. Turner
they provide may lead to a negative cascading effect on the entire estuarine
environment.
The culture of the eastern oyster in containment gear has become a
valuable tool not only of commercial aquaculture but also for restoration
programs throughout many states along the East Coast of the United States.
Oysters grown in aquaculture gear provide many of the same ecological
services as natural or restored reefs. The cultured oysters and gear may also
provide important habitat for fish, mobile crustaceans, and a variety of other
species. A number of studies have demonstrated a positive correlation between
oyster aquaculture and the presence of infaunal and epifaunal communities,
including populations of ecologically and economically important fauna.
In response to the drastic decline in oyster populations, conservation
organizations in the coastal eastern states have developed community culturing
programs, commonly referred to as “oyster gardening”, to help mitigate the
loss of oyster populations. Oyster gardening instills in the community a strong
sense of environmental stewardship while locally providing the ecological
services of the oyster stocks. As enhancement and restoration of the eastern
oyster move forward, it is important to understand the overall contributions
and impacts that oyster aquaculture may impart in the surrounding
environment. As wild oyster stocks continue to dwindle, research focusing on
the ecological effects of commercial oyster aquaculture is being carried out
with greater urgency.
Chapter 2 – British Columbia (BC), Canada, is home to some of the most
pristine nutrient rich coastal environments in the world. It would seem an ideal
place for shellfish aquaculture and indeed the British Columbia Shellfish
Growers Association (BCSGA) champion this vision as “the Comox Valley,
Canada’s Oyster Capital where BC shellfish are grown in the cool, clean
waters off the remote and rugged Canadian West Coast”. In 2010, the
economics of BC shellfish aquaculture included a close to 22 million dollar
industry contributing to 1000 full-time jobs. Eighty percent of this farmed
shellfish is the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas. Oysters, recognized as a rich
protein source, also hyper- accumulate metals. On the west coast of BC, this
metal is cadmium, a known carcinogen which has been linked to a multiple
number of health issues. Hence the conundrum; a shellfish industry with 80%
of the principle product containing a toxic metal which precludes unlimited
consumption. Ecotoxicological studies suggest that the source of cadmium to
BC oysters is primarily dissolved (from water) accumulated via the gill with
some contribution from food. This dissolved fraction is thought to be
controlled by natural oceanic processes rather than any one point source of the