Middle Atlantic 



Landings by Major Bays. Over 32 

 million pounds of oysters were har- 

 vested annually in Chesapeake Bay 

 until 1 959, when a major decline 

 began. MSX and Dermo were the 

 major causes of the loss (Ford, pers. 

 comm.). By 1989, landings were only 

 about four million pounds. This 

 decline has affected the ecology of the 

 Bay and has impacted other fisheries 

 as well (Hargis and Haven, 1988; 

 Chesapeake Executive Council, 

 1989). 



Delaware Bay experienced a similar 

 decline in oysters due to MSX begin- 

 ning in 1957. By the early 1970s, 

 harvest was at an all-time low. How- 

 ever, after Hurricane Agnes in 1972 

 the oyster population recovered, only 

 to be decimated again by MSX in the 

 early 1980s (Ford, pers. comm.). 

 Over 640,000 pounds were landed in 

 the Bay in 1980, declining dramatically 

 to 39,000 pounds in 1985. There was 

 no significant harvest in 1989. Reef 

 restoration has been unsuccessful, 

 although several northern beds may 

 recover in the 1991 season (Cole, 

 pers. comm.). Clam landings in the 

 Bay also declined from over 500,000 

 pounds in 1985 to only 37,000 pounds 

 in 1989. Declining harvest is compli- 

 cated further by the closure of many 

 shellfishing areas pending sufficient 

 resources to conduct sanitary surveys. 



Landings by State. Buzzards Bay is 

 the only major Massachusetts 

 shellfishing area in this region. How- 

 ever, landings are low compared to 

 other Middle Atlantic estuaries. 

 Oyster landings in the Bay fluctuated 

 between 18,000 and 33,000 pounds 

 between 1985 and 1989. 



Only about 2,000 pounds of oysters 

 were landed annually between 1985 

 and 1989 in Rhode Island. Clam 

 landings declined from about six 

 million to just over four million pounds 

 during the same period. Scallop 

 landings declined from 22,000 pounds 

 in 1985 to zero in 1986 because of 

 brown tide infections, and have not 

 been reestablished. 



A new management program has 

 begun to revitalize the shellfish 

 industry in Connecticut. The State 

 legislature provided significant funds 

 for reef restoration and regulatory 

 program expansion. The industry is 

 allowed to relay juvenile oysters from 

 public grounds classified as restricted 

 to private leases in approved waters. 

 The program has also further stimu- 

 lated aquaculture operations. Oyster 

 landings increased from less than one 

 million to almost two million pounds 

 between 1985 and 1989. Over the 

 same period, clam landings declined 

 from 845,000 pounds to 710,000 

 pounds. In 1987 a brown tide seri- 

 ously affected scallop harvest, reduc- 

 ing landings to 130,000 pounds. 



Aquaculture has sustained the oyster 

 industry in New York, increasing 

 landings from almost 299,000 pounds 

 to 339,000 pounds between 1985 and 

 1989. However, the largest New York 

 producer recently reported massive 

 mortalities in one of its growing areas. 

 Viral disease is suspected (Relyea, 

 pers. comm.). 



Bay scallop landings in New York 

 declined from 269,000 pounds in 1985 

 to about 40,000 pounds in 1989, 

 following a brown tide. However, 



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