Good news for those who enjoy Virginia oysters – and for those that harvest them: the harvest has skyrocketed over the past 10 years, and has grown more profitable.
According to a McDonnell administration press release:
Over the past decade, the oyster harvest in Virginia has increased ten-fold, from 23,000 bushels in 2001 to 236,000 bushels in 2011. In that time, the dockside value of the oyster harvest increased from $575,000 to $8.26 million. In fact, last year’s oyster harvest in Virginia was the largest since 1989.
The good folks at Virginia Marine Resources Commission uses a “rotational harvest system, sanctuaries and targeted shell plantings on public oyster grounds” in order to counter threats due to disease – particularly Dermo and MSX, which kills oysters around harvest age (three years).
VMRC’s system was enacted four years ago and the estimate is that for every $1 spent by the state “yields $7 in economic benefits in the form of larger harvests, and increased jobs for oyster shuckers and oyster packing houses.”
“This oyster management plan is working,” said Kim Huskey, Executive Director of the Virginia Seafood Council. “This shows the fantastic results that can be achieved with VMRC and the seafood industry working together. For every $1 the state allocates to shell planting on public oyster grounds, $7 in economic benefits accrue. Last year’s harvest resulted in an economic impact of $22 million. This means jobs and economic benefits for Virginia. And it can get even better in the years to come.”
Good news, indeed. Let’s keep it up…particularly with blue crab and other species in the bay.
Taking care of the bay and nurturing its economic benefits is in everyone’s best interest, particularly since the bay and its associated waterways clearly defines the culture of the eastern part of our commonwealth from Hampton Roads to DC.
