This study estimates the density of oysters and oyster shells on that portion of the J. H. Miles Co. lease which lies within 450 feet of the upriver edge of the Campostella Bridge.
The Campostella Bridge is located on Route 460 on the Eastern Branch of the Elizabeth River (Figure 1). The area is restricted for shellfish culture by the Virginia State Health Department and salinities are high enough to favor the development of the oyster diseases Haplosporidium costalis (MSX) and Perkinsus marinum (Dermo). Because a combination of the effects of pollution and disease, the area has not produced commercial volumes of oysters for many years; probably since 1960

Haven, Dexter S.

Whitcomb, James P.

English

College of William & Mary: W&M Publish

W&M ScholarWorks Reports 6-15-1983 The density of oysters and shell upriver from the Campostella bridge in the Elizabeth River Dexter S. Haven Virginia Institute of Marine Science James P. Whitcomb Virginia Institute of Marine Science Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/reports  Part of the Aquaculture and Fisheries Commons Recommended Citation Haven, D. S., & Whitcomb, J. P. (1983) The density of oysters and shell upriver from the Campostella bridge in the Elizabeth River. Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary. https://doi.org/10.25773/ht2z-vk26 This Report is brought to you for free and open access by W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Reports by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact scholarworks@wm.edu. THE DENSITY OF OYSTERS AND SHELL UPRIVER FROM THE CAMPOSTELLA BRIDGE IN THE ELIZABETH RIVER Project No. 0460-122-103-RW-201 by Dexter S. Haven and J.P. Whitcomb Virginia Institute of Marine Science and School of Marine Science The College of William and Mary Gloucester Point, Va. 23062 June 15, 1983 LIBRARY \ ' ot the VIRGIN!/\ INSTITUTE of ~~ESCIENCE · l\'ur:::, \j\-1 -~----------- -·-··· ..•... ---··· -- ··-··-·· --·•·- ····---··--· Introduction This study estimates the density of oysters and oyster shells on that portion of the J. H. Miles Co. lease which lies within 450 feet of the upriver edge of the Campostella Bridge. The Campostella Bridge is located on Route 460 on the Eastern Branch of the Elizabeth River (Figure 1). The area is restricted for shellfish culture by the Virginia State Health Department and salinities are high enough to favor the development of the oyster diseases Haplosporidium costalis (MSX) and Perkinsus marinum (Dermo). Because a combination of the effects of pollution and disease, the area has not produced commercial volumes of oysters for many years; probably since 1960. The site of the study is shown in Figure 1. The oyster lease surveyed is shown in Figure 2 as plat 3915 (leased by J. H. Miles Co.). The bounds of the survey area as well as the extent of the lease were established just prior to our study by personnel of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC). Methods After the study area was staked out by the VMRC, stations were located 50 feet apart on transects (Figure 3). These stations were located in reference to the VMRC stakes; distances ·were measured using a floating rope calibrated in feet. -•-~--·--·---· "< At each station quantitative samples of oysters and shells were collected by an experienced waterman using shaft tongs.l The material collected in each tong was examined and the following data were recorded. 1. Number and size of large and small oysters, and spat (1982 year class); 2. Volume of surface and buried shells; 3. Number of dead oysters (boxes); 4. Type of bottom (mud, sand, shell, etc.); and 5. Water depths. Results Bottom Type The study area upriver from the Campostella Bridge varied in depth from 8 to 14 feet with a mean depth of 10.8 feet. The bottom was composed of mud and shell. Buried and surface shell formed a crust on over 61% of the bottom. Sixteen stations, or 29%, had no oysters or shell (these stations are enclosed in dotted lines in Figure 3). On these sixteen stations the substrate varied from very soft to a firm mud. Occasionally a few oysters were found without a supporting crust of shells. 1 The heads of the tongs were tied with a rope so the teeth covered about 4.42 ft2 of bottom. Oyster Size The mean size of market oysters was 94.5 mm (3.8 in.) in length. The average count (number) per bushel was 324 oysters of all sizes. Fifty-five per cent of the oysters were market size (3 inches or longer). In a Virginia bushel of bottom material, six-tenths of the volume was shell and four-tenths was oysters. The oysters were relatively clean with a few mussels or barnacles; a few worm tubes were observed on the oysters. Area Covered by Tongs The opening of the tongs was standardized by tying the tongs with a rope. The resultant grab sampled 4.42 square feet each grab. Assuming 43560 feet 2 per acre and a total area sampled of 243.1 feet 2 (55 stations x 4.42 ft2 per grab) the total oysters per acre was calculated. This was converted to bushels per acre using a bushel count of 324 oysters. Assuming that 0.6 of each bushel caught in the samples was shell, and the same relationships between total area sampled and the total area of an acre, we can calculate the numbers of bushels of shell per acre. Volume of Shells and Oysters Per Acre The 90,000 sq. ft covered by our survey (450 x 200) contained about 155.4 bushels of oysters and about 222.1 bushels of shells. Each acre on the survey area supported about 243G0,oysters or 75.2 bushels of oysters per acre. Also,on each acre there was 107.5 bushels of shell (Table 2). I Mortality Mortalities 1n the area were high (27.5%) as evidenced by the number of boxes. These could be expected in this old population of oysters in an MSX area. None of the deaths were recent. Sixty-nine per cent of the shells was buried and thirty-one per cent of the shell was on the surface. There were no spat in the sample. Conclusion This area was an active lease probably prior to 1960, when MSX was not a problem. The oysters existing here today are the result of natural production, on very limited quantities of surface shell. ' The area surveyed contained about 155.4 bushels of oysters and 222.1 bushels of shell. Their maximum value today is about: 155.4 X 6.00 = $932.40 222,l X ,38 = 84.40 Total $1016.80 Table 1. Field results of tonged samples collected along transects shown in Figure 1. Transect 1 Station 1 Station 2 Station 3 Station 4 Station 5 Transect 2 Station 1 Station 2 Station 3 Station 4 Station 5 Transect 3 Station 1 Station 2 Station 3 Station 4 Station 5 Transect 4 Station 1 Station 2 Station 3 Station 4 Station 5 Data collected on May 19 and 20, 1983 in the Elizabeth River just upriver from the Campostella Bridge. Data shows number of oysters, spat and boxes per tong. Market Small Market Small % of Shell Oysters Oysters Spat Boxes Boxes Buried Surface Remarks 3 2 0 1 0 50 50 7 shells 10 1/2 ft oyster shells, rocks 0 2 0 0 0 100 8 shells mud, shell 6 1 0 1 1 20 80 7 shells mud, shell 0 0 0 0 0 100 2 shells mud 0 0 0 0 0 soft mud 9 1/2 ft 0 0 0 0 0 soft mud 6 3 0 2 0 50 50 10 shells 0 0 0 0 0 soft mud 3 2 0 2 0 100 10 shells 6 0 0 4 0 20 80 12 shells mud, shell 5 4 0 4 0 30 70 14 shells 0 0 0 0 0 100 4 shells mud, shell 0 2 0 1 0 100 8 shells mud, shell 2 3 0 1 1 100 10 shells mud, shell 2 0 0 0 0 100 2 shells 0 0 0 1 0 100 6 shells mud, shell 0 0 0 0 0 soft mud 4 0 0 2 0 100 4 shells 0 0 0 0 0 mud 3 3 0 0 0 20 80 13 shells 3 qts. of shells & fragments Table 1. (continued) Market Small Market Small % of Shell Oysters Oysters Spat Boxes Boxes Buried Surface Remarks Transect 5 Station 1 0 0 0 0 0 mud Station 2 4 1 0 0 0 100 1 shell mud, shell Station 3 0 0 0 0 0 mud Station 4 1 2 0 4 0 100 7 shells mud, shell Station 5 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 8 ft Transect Sa (25 ft from 5 and 6) Station 1 0 0 0 0 0 mud 9 ft Station 2 1 2 0 5 0 100 4 shells Station 3 0 6 0 0 0 100 1 shell Station 4 3 1 0 3 0 100 3 shells Station 5 3 2 0 0 0 100 2 shells 11 ft mud Transect 6 Station 1 1 3 0 2 0 50 50 20 shells 10 1/2 ft Stat ion 2 0 0 0 0 0 mud 10 ft Station 3 1 3 0 4 0 100 5 shells Stat ion 4 0 0 0 0 0 mud 10 ft Station 5 0 0 0 0 0 mud 10 ft Transect 7 Station 1 0 0 0 0 0 mud Station 2 0 0 0 0 0 100 2 shells Station 3 0 0 0 0 0 mud 10 1/2 ft Station 4 2 3 0 0 0 100 3 shells Station 5 0 0 0 0 0 mud 11 ft Transect 8 Station 1 0 4 0 0 0 100 2 shells 11 ft Station 2 0 0 0 0 0 mud Station 3 2 0 0 4 0 100 4 shells Station 4 0 0 0 0 1 100 5 shells Station 5 2 2 0 4 0 100 4 shells Transect 9 Station 1 0 2 0 0 0 100 2 shells 14 ft Station 2 1 0 0 0 0 fragments 13 ft Station 3 0 0 0 0 0 buried frags. 13 ft Station 4 0 2 0 0 3 100 2 shells 10 ft Station 5 0 0 0 0 0 mud 10 ft Table 1. (continued) Market Small Market Small % of Shell Oysters Oysters Spat Boxes Boxes Buried Surface Transect 10 Station 1 Station 2 Station 3 Station 4 Station 5 Totals 2 1 0 0 0 65 1 4 1 0 0 63 93 shells= 10 qts. in volume Total shells= 30 qts. 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 48 0 0 0 0 0 6 100 100 100 Total oysters= 21 qts. Tongs Tied on 24 inch; basket is 26 1/2 inches wide= 4.42 ft 2 Number of samples= 55 Collections had a light set of mussels and worm tubes on them. Remarks shell, oysters 13 ft mud mud, shell mud, shell mud mud 13 ft 13 ft 10 ft 8 1 /2 ft Table 2. Basic Data Used in Estimating Densities (from Table 1). 1. Total number of tonged samples 55 2. Total area of bottom sampled each grab 4.42 ft 2 3. Total number market oysters collected2 75 Total number small oysters collected 2 61 Total 136 4. Total volume of shells collected 30 qts. (0.6 bu) 5. Number of large and small oysters in a bushel 324 Method of Calculating Bushels of Oysters and Shells Per Acre 1. There are 43,560 ft2 in 1 acre; and our 55 samples covered 243.1 ft 2 (55 x 4.42) 2. Therefore, number of oysters/acre= 55 x 4.42 ft2 = 243.1 ft 2 43560 7 243.1 x 136 = 24369.2 oysters 3. Bushels of oysters/acre= 24369.2 i 324 = 75.2 bushels of oysters/acre 4. Bushels of shell/acre= 43560 7 243.1 x 0.6 bu= 107.5 bushels of shell per acre 2 These are corrected totals; they do not agree with those showing overall distribution (Table 2). ~ llrT B" 'T • DOWN· Figure J. L occr..C1on of Camj)OS le l la Br1d9e Jh lhe £t1_3ahe 1h Rive,-S'fstem. ~-- ./ - , II ~ ---==' II '•II JU I r I --~-' -~" I --·· 7 \ . , \ .i ,,__ /'\_J '-,-..-,~--~--~~J _ -+ HAYNES , P. G. No.\\  ..____ _ .. --' -~~ ~ -~ NORFOLK Co. · ..___.___:_27 I I -, 'I -----~ ~ \ --' . 1. __ ___ \ 'v '~. ~ ,. ' ·v. _.: _,;__~ I / ~ \~-r -· ~; ~" ~-' ~ . -~ '.:#:_•_\_·_._~ « -~ 7'--0- ·..;1 'i ~ ~ :·, . c.~--, ,,-------39\5;:--__ __:_ _ .tH. M\LES CO. + OSCAR2 -~--j c~P0STELLA /j // /-,,. . . '. \ f • R 1 VE~-J r9 q,c ;Z_ _ -EL \ZABETH · + \SLE ~--~~: 1'--~-~- . -f~ .•-.,;:~-- .-.· r--- :--- --I 3\'3LEs co. J J.H. Ml --\ I BRJIJGl X ✓---- .... , ,+ ~ + I , ~ Tra,,s1:c l IX \+ ,, + +-:---..... + + -~ JlI[[ + -~ -I- + ,, + ' ... -f-✓ ' - .... ~ 'S!I!. --, ,...,. -\ ~ + ' + _,,... ,,, + '+'\ +! - \ I ~ ... ~ I ]Zl ..,. -, / + + /+ "':t- :+ 1 .., .. -------} \ -I ' 1l ~ ' \ + + I ,+ ' '+ .I -,. I \ - / ' ,, 1V ' ,,, ... ' ' ,, + I+ t + '- + ,, -+ ' - ., ' __,. -m + -I- + + + ll ~ .. + + + ✓ \ t +., ' -,, .... ' I I + \ -L \ I + r + • '- - ,, ") ~ N') <"\J ......_ C 0 ..... ,-J (j "i-.> V) r;Jl.,(.re 3 Ct.1:.-'n,,oos fe!!a. Bndpe s la.lion ( ocaf1ons. Tra_nseds a.nds!altons O:re //ft\ he! a,,oa.1-!. Mud are,o:..s Q;,e enclosed by- dolled !11?es. 

The density of oysters and shell upriver from the Campostella bridge in the Elizabeth River

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The density of oysters and shell upriver from the Campostella bridge in the Elizabeth River

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