National Research Council
Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee
EIS Research Needs
Non-native Oyster Research
Other Resources

Federal resource agencies, environmental groups, and scientists concerned about the possible risks associated with a non-native introduction have urged a cautious approach including several years of focused research to answer key questions about the Asian oyster. Efforts are under way to answer many of the questions that exist about the biology and ecology of C. ariakensis, and the potential impacts an introduction of this non-native oyster might have. Below are links to some of the key reports and research initiatives.

The National Research Council (NRC) Study Non-native Oysters in the Chesapeake Bay was the first comprehensive review of the issues surrounding the possible introduction of C. ariakensis into the Chesapeake Bay.

The study was produced by The National Academies at the request of several federal and state agencies including:  the Chesapeake Bay Commission, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, and the Maryland, Virginia, and Connecticut Sea Grant programs.

In December 2003, the Chesapeake Bay Programs Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC ) convened a two-day workshop of scientists to discuss what information was needed to predict the effects of the introduction of reproductively viable C. ariakensis into the Chesapeake Bay.

The report produced from this workshop, Identifying and Prioritizing Research Required to Evaluate Ecological Risks and Benefits of Introducing Diploid Crassostrea ariakensis to Restore Oysters to Chesapeake Bay. 20 February 2004 identified the most outstanding research needs, and determined which ones were the most critical to the ability to predict what C. ariakensis might do in the Chesapeake Bay. This prioritization of research goals has been useful for directing funding toward research that will answer the most important questions first.

A Summary of Research Needs for a Defensible EIS on the Non-native Oyster has been developed by NOAA, EPA, and FWS as the federal cooperating agencies on the EIS. This report was produced at the request of Congressional staff.

In response to the outstanding information needs identified in the NRC and STAC reports, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission began funding research on C. ariakensis in 2004. In that same year, the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office also initiated a three-year long research program, funded at $2 million annually, to support the scientific information needs of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The program is aimed at research priorities identified by the NRC and the STAC, as well as guidance from the International Code of Practice on the Introductions and Transfers of Marine Organisms (ICES Code of Practice).

FY 2006 was the the last year of funding for this program, and final results from all projects are expected by 2007 or early 2008 . Please see our research pages for more information on the projects that have been funded as well as what scientists have discovered so far.

The Chesapeake Bay Program Crassostrea ariakensis. Their website contains information about both the native and non-native oysters and has many useful links. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the lead federal agency in the Bay Program, which is a federal, state, and local partnership.

In 2005, the EPAs National Center for Environmental Economics produced a working paper entitled The Economic Impacts of Aquatic Invasive Species: A Review of the Literature . This report looks at cost estimates for preventing and controlling invasive species from a review of economic literature on invasive species and identifies outstanding research needs.

The Sea Grant Programs of the University of Maryland and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science are the two primary academic institutions conducting research on C. ariakensis in the Chesapeake Bay region. Their web sites are a good source of information on both the native and non-native oysters, and contain links to a number of publications including: Aquaculture of Triploid Crassostrea ariakensis in Chesapeake Bay and A Comparative Field Study of Crassostrea ariakensis and Crassostrea virginica in Relation to Salinity in Virginia

In 2001, the FWS Chesapeake Bay Field Office published a white paper entitled: Introduction of Crassostrea ariakensis (formerly rivularis) to Chesapeake Bay: The Solution to Restoring an Oyster Fishery and Water Quality in the Bay? that evaluated the potential risks of an introduction of C. ariakensis. This report was one of the first publications to describe the potential problems with an introduction of C. ariakensis.