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WATER QUALITY AND OYSTER HEALTH (CRASSOSTREA VIRGINICA): AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO DETERMINING HABITAT RESTORATION POTENTIAL
Citation:
WATER QUALITY AND OYSTER HEALTH (CRASSOSTREA VIRGINICA): AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO DETERMINING HABITAT RESTORATION POTENTIAL. Presented at 5th Internat'l Conference on Shellfish Restoration, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Sep 18-21, 2001.
Description:
Volety, Aswani K., S. Gregory Tolley and James T. Winstead. 2001. Water Quality and Oyster Health (Crassostrea virginica): An Integrated Approach to Determining Habitat Restoration Potential (Abstract). Presented at the 5th International Conference on Shellfish Restoration, 18-21 September 2001, Nanaimo, British Columbia. 1 p. (ERL,GB R961).
The influence of water quality and season on disease prevalence and intensity, gonadal condition, recruitment potential, and growth of oysters was examined monthly at five locations along the Caloosahatchee River estuary, Florida. Habitat suitability of oyster reefs for fishes and decapod crustaceans was examined at three of these sites. Higher temperatures and salinities favored the parasite Perkinsus marinus, and histological analyses revealed the presence of several additional parasitic or commensalistic organisms. Comparison of mortality among sites indicated that juvenile oysters tolerated salinities of 15 - 38 ppt. Spat recruitment was higher at subtidal (1-5 spat/shell) than at intertidal locations, where sparse oyster distribution and swift currents appeared to limit settlement success. The late peak in gametogenesis (August-September) observed at all sites may have resulted from reduced salinities during May-July or may imply that oysters spawn twice per season. Oyster-reef habitat supported a fish and decapod assemblage averaging 77 individuals m-2 or 14 individuals 1-1 oyster cluster. Reef-resident fishes included Gobiesox strumosus, Chasmodes saburrae, Gobiosoma robustum,and Opsanus beta; xanthid and porcellanid crabs represented the dominant crustaceans. Species diversity (H') did not vary among sites; however, significant difference in density (individuals 1-1 oyster cluster) were found in the fishes G. strumosus and C. saburrae and in the crabs Panopeus herbstii and Petrolisthes armatus. Overall, results suggest that periodic freshwater releases may benefit oysters by lowering the salinity and thus the intensity of parasite infection, Perkinsus marinus. It should be cautioned that the long-term effects of low salinity on oysters have not been investigated.