Comparative Study of Seed from Northern and Southern Hatcheries

Seed from Northern and Southern (hereafter called local) hatcheries was procured in May 2000. Oysters delivered by the Northern hatchery were on time and of the desired size ~3mm). Seed from the local hatchery, however, arrived several days later and were too small to go into field nursery containers and were subsequently held in upwellers and then transferred to the field nursery gear. Figure 1 shows growth as measured by mean shell height (mm) for both strains. Note that the local seed took N20 days longer to reach grow-out size (indicated by first sieve)

Population Assessment of Eastern Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) in the Seaside Coastal Bays

Declines of oyster populations and commercial harvest from the Virginia seaside coastal bays have followed similar patterns, though not as severe, as those in Chesapeake Bay. High prevalence of Dermo disease (Perkinsus marinus) and MSX disease (Haplosporidium nelsoni) coupled with over harvest and habitat destruction have dramatically reduced populations. Nevertheless, there are several promising signs that significant enhancement of the population could be achieved with well conceived restoration efforts. Oyster habitat and population distribution were examined in the coastal bay system on the seaside of the Eastern Shore of Virginia. This system is composed of barrier islands, salt marshes, broad and shallow coastal bays, intertidal mud flats, and deeper water channels. Manmade shorelines such as bulkhead and rip rap are prevalent in limited areas. This study provides the first quantitative assessment of oyster population abundance on a region wide scale in the coastal bays on the seaside of Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Our estimate of 3.2 billion oysters in this region exceeds the most recent population estimate of 1.8 billion oysters for the entire Virginia portion of Chesapeake Bay produced by the VIMS CBOPE (http://web.vims.edu/mollusc/cbope/VAPDFfiles/VABasin2006.pdf). At the time of our sampling, Dec. 2007 – June 2008, the oyster population was comprised of a wide range of sizes representing several year classes that suggest a self-sustaining population with the potential for significant expansion. The spatially-explicit oyster population GIS product developed through this work provides a valuable tool for guiding fisheries resource management and restoration activities for oysters in this region. The ultimate usefulness of this product lies in its integrative aspect as a GIS tool

Recruitment, substrate quality and standing stock monitoring in support of NOAA-ACOA oyster restoration projects in the Great Wicomico, Rappahannock, Piankatank and Lynnhaven River Basins, 2004-2006 : supplementary materials

Many factors affect the success of oyster restoration efforts. This supplemental report details the VIMS effort under this NOAA-funded program to monitor some of those factors in the Great Wicomico, Rappahannock, Piankatank and Lynnhaven Rivers. Specifically, it details monitoring of (1) oyster settlement at two reefs in each of those tributaries from May to November from 2004 – 2006, along with additional widespread recruitment monitoring in the Lynnhaven River in 2005 & 2006, (2) substrate condition on the same eight reefs during spring, summer and fall of 2004 – 2006, (3) oyster abundance on Shell Bar reef in the Great Wicomico River before and the deployment of hatchery-produced oysters in the spring of 2005, and (4) oyster population distribution, abundance and size in the Lynnhaven River basin during the period from April 2005 – March 2006

Water Quality in Accomack County Freshwater Streams 2020

Expansion of poultry house operations and use of litter as a soil amendment in Accomack County Virginia has raised concerns for water quality impacts on both seaside and bayside of the Eastern Shore of Virginia (ESVA). This ongoing investigation is examining freshwater stream water quality in Accomack Virginia to identify water quality impairments from poultry operation storm water runoff. Previous sampling data from 2019 has been integrated into this report. Sampling in 2020 followed an extended drought period (base flow) and two inch rainfall events (storm flow) in streams at road crossings in Accomack County Bayside and Seaside drainages. Dissolved Ammonia, Dissolved Nitrite + Nitrate, Total Nitrogen, Total Phosphorous, and Turbidity were determined by laboratory analysis. Temperature, Salinity, Dissolved Oxygen, and pH were recorded in the field, and flow rates determined. Estimates of land cover in the drainages for these streams were used to determine correlations between stream water nutrient levels and the presence of poultry operations, agricultural fields, residential housing, forest, and swamps. No overall effect of poultry operations could be detected. Stable Isotope data suggest little to no input to stream particulate matter from poultry litter or poultry ammonium deposition. Rainfall tended to dilute nitrogen concentrations in streams indicating a ground water source, although total nutrient loading increased with the increasing flow. Turbidity and particle associated phosphorous showed the most dramatic changes with storm events. Data on Seaside ESVA watersheds for stream nitrate values from ten years ago had an overall average value slightly lower than the overall value for the present study. Stream water quality on Bayside will be assessed again in 2021, and will expand to include Northampton County streams with funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF)

Ecological Monitoring Program at VIMS ESL : Annual report 2020

An Ecological Monitoring Program (EMP) has been established at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science Eastern Shore Laboratory (VIMS ESL) for the coastal environment near the Wachapreague lab. The goals of the initiative are to 1) provide status and trends information to scientists who study and regulators who manage Virginia’s marine resources, 2) provide a scientific context for short-term research and grant proposals 3) provide pedagogical enrichment to educators for their classes, and 4) build capacity in staff expertise and training of interns and students at VIMS ESL. The program formalizes and standardizes data collection for a long-term status and trends database as an asset provided by VIMS ESL in addition to marine operations and shore support facilities. The EMP standard methods also provide visiting scientists with protocols for consistent and comparable work. The EMP includes electronic water quality stations, oyster settlement and adult population dynamics, microbial biofilm growth, characterization of benthic communities in soft sediments and oyster reefs, sediment characteristics, and drone surveillance of salt marsh die back and Wachapreague Inlet dynamics. While this document focuses on these core areas of our monitoring activities, results of other VIMS ESL research on shellfish aquaculture, bay scallop restoration, and shorter-term grant supported research projects are reported elsewhere

Ecological Monitoring Program at VIMS ESL: Annual report 2022

An Ecological Monitoring Program (EMP) has been established at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science Eastern Shore Laboratory (VIMS ESL) for the coastal environment near the Wachapreague lab. The goals of the initiative are to 1) provide status and trends information to scientists who study and regulators who manage Virginia’s marine resources, 2) provide a scientific context for short-term research and grant proposals 3) provide pedagogical enrichment for educators to use in their classes, and 4) build capacity in staff expertise and training of interns and students at VIMS ESL. The program formalizes and standardizes data collection for a long-term status and trends database as an asset of VIMS ESL in addition to our marine operations and shore support facilities. The EMP standard methods also provide visiting scientists and educators with protocols for consistent and comparable work and training. The EMP includes electronic water quality stations, oyster settlement and adult population dynamics, microbial biofilm growth, characterization of benthic communities in soft sediments and oyster reefs, sediment characteristics, and drone surveillance of salt marsh die back, Wachapreague Inlet dynamics and macroalgae distribution on mudflats. While this document focuses on these core areas of our monitoring activities, results of other VIMS ESL research on shellfish aquaculture, bay scallop restoration, and shorter-term grant supported research projects are reported elsewhere

Water Quality in Southern Accomack County Watersheds

Expansion of poultry grow out houses in Accomack County, VA has raised concerns for water quality impacts both seaside and bayside where harvesting marine resources and aquaculture operations may be affected. The dust and litter from the poultry houses are potential sources of nitrogen, phosphorous, and fecal contamination to watersheds and receiving waters. Siting regulations, storm water controls, and management of litter storage and handling are designed to limit these impacts, yet no analysis has been implemented to verify the efficacy of these protective measures. This investigation sampled watersheds after a 2 week dry period prior to a storm event and immediately after the rain event in July 2018, and later in November 2018 after a month of continuous light rainy wet weather resulting in water saturated soils but no major rainfall. Samples were processed for Total Enterococcus fecal indicators, dissolved ammonia, total nitrogen and total phosphorous

Evaluating and enhancing the success of oyster reef restoration: The effects of habitat complexity on oyster survival

We evaluated the progress of several oyster restoration efforts of varying ages in three tidal tributaries of Chesapeake Bay, the Rappahannock, the Piankatank and Great Wicomoco rivers. In 2003 and 2004, we determined the density, biomass and size frequency distribution of oyster populations on the reefs during spring, summer and fall. Recruitment of oysters to the reefs was quantified using standardized substrates deployed and retrieved from the reef surfaces on a weekly or bi-weekly schedule from May through November. The prevalence and intensity of the oyster pathogens Perkinsus marinus and Haplosporidium nelsoni in oysters on the reefs was determined from samples taken in October 2004 and compared with values taken from another study on the reefs in October 2003. Additionally, the composition and abundance of other epifaunal community constituents associated each of the reefs were enumerated. We characterized the condition of reef base material by measuring the prevalence of present or past damage by boring sponge (Cliona spp.) and by measuring individual particle sizes. Finally, large-scale reef attributes such as slope and water depth were quantified. Oyster population data were then related to epifaunal community metrics and substrate condition with correlation analyses

Water quality in an unnamed branch of Pungoteague Creek, Bobtown Road and Hollies Church Road, VA.

Previous sampling of the stream crossing Bobtown Road (Rt 178) near the intersection of Hollies Church Road (Rt. 620), had indicated high levels of nitrogen in the stream flow (Snyder and Ross, 2019). During a dry period, total nitrogen was determined as 21.932 mg/L, at the end of a rain event 9.56 mg/L was recovered, and during an extended wet period without major rainfall, a value of 18.26 mg/L was found. The lower value associated with the rain event suggested dilution of a ground water source. The proximity of the retired Accomack County Landfill upstream of the site triggered a higher resolution sampling of the stream in an attempt to isolate a source of the nitrogen loading

Surface water nitrogen attenuation from the Accomack County, VA southern landfill groundwater discharge - Final report

Previous sampling of the stream crossing Bobtown Road (Rt 178) near the intersection of Hollies Church Road (Rt. 620), had indicated high levels of nitrogen in the stream flow (Snyder and Ross, 2019a). The proximity of the retired Accomack County Landfill upstream of the site triggered a higher resolution sampling of the stream in an attempt to isolate a source of the nitrogen loading (Snyder and Ross, 2019b). Accomack County has requested repeated sampling of this stream segment to monitor nutrient attenuation trends from the site, and stations were established for that purpose. This Final Report provides a summary of three years of sampling at the site (2018-2020)