Oyster Research and Restoration in U.S. Coastal Waters: Strategies for the Future

two oyster shells - top one showing inside and bottom showing outside of the shell

The NOAA Sea Grant program has supported wide-ranging projects in oyster-disease research and fostered the Gulf Oyster Industry Partnership over the last 10 years-tangible results of this investment include:

New tools for disease diagnosis
Successful breeding of disease-resistant oyster strains
New models of the interaction of disease and environmental factors
Greater understanding of the disease process at the cellular level
Rapid detection and enumeration of human pathogens in shellfish
New processing methods to insure public health

In recognizing the key ecological and habitat role of oysters in coastal waters, many states are developing far-reaching plans for restoration of oyster populations. Integrated restoration efforts and critical management decisions will build upon the scientific foundations established over the past decade.

An Invitation to Participate

We invite your participation in a two-day meeting that will bring together representatives of the scientific, management, industry and public outreach communities. This meeting will be organized around a series of plenary sessions that will:

Summarize the status of oyster fisheries in the U.S.
Share recent developments at the leading edge of oyster disease research
Synthesize developments for management and restoration of oyster populations

Facilitated workgroups will be charged with developing recommendations and strategies for future research investments focused on:

Managing Around Disease
Genetic Manipulation and Population Genetics
Frontiers in Disease Research
Managing for Ecological Benefit
Public Health Issues and Impacts on Oyster Marketing

The meeting is limited to 150 individuals.

Contacts

Jonathan Kramer, Maryland Sea Grant: kramer@mdsg.umd.edu
William Rickards, Virginia Sea Grant: wlr4z@virginia.edu
James McVey, NOAA, National Sea Grant Office: Jim.Mcvey@noaa.gov

Sponsored by NOAA Sea Grant and
the Maryland and Virginia Sea Grant Programs

Meeting Home