APPENDIX III APPENDIX III 
The major production areas of Louisiana and Mississippi 
suffer from salt water intrusion which is becoming a bigger 
problem each year. In Texas, the Major production area, 
Galveston Bay, suffers from fresh water flooding, causing 
production to fluctuate seasonally and yearly. Alabama 
production areas suffer from both salt water intrusion and 
fresh water flooding. 
The adverse effects of pollution in growing areas are 
another obstacle to oyster production. The James River in 
Virginia is an example of one highly productive oyster area 
being affected. A research study by the Virginia Institute 
of Marine Science indicates that chlorine from a sewage 
treatment plant has contributed to declining oyster produc-— 
tion in the river. Tests showed that chlorine levels in 
parts of the river were found to exceed the amount fatal to 
oyster larvae in the laboratory. A pesticide known as 
kepone had also been discharged into the river. Due to 
this contamination, on December 17, 1975, the Commonwealth 
of Virginia prohibited the taking of shellfish from the 
James River and its tributaries from Richmond to the mouth 
at Chesapeake Bay. On May 21, 1976, the restriction on 
harvesting shellfish in the James River was removed. 
Bacterial pollution has also resulted in the closing 
Of Oyster, beds. im one, State, about, 130,000, acres” of Sheii— 
fish growing areas have been closed to harvesting. Officials 
there said that while much of the area is not natural oyster 
ground, it includes some highly productive areas, one of 
which contains about 50,000 acres. Oysters can be trans- 
ferred from polluted waters to clean waters and reharvested 
after they have been purified, but harvesting twice increases 
the cost, making this practice uneconomical. 
In Louisiana, 33,000 acres suitable for oyster produc-— 
tion are closed. The richest production area in Mississippi, 
Biloxi Bay, is closed to harvesting, as are parts of Texas' 
largest production area, Galveston Bay. In Florida, 58 per- 
cent of the shellfish waters of the State are closed because 
of unacceptable water quality. This is the principal cause 
of shellfish shortages in that State. Along the Pacific 
coast the entire oyster yield comes from private farms. The 
fishery is not limited by resource availability but future 
growth and development depends on suitable environments, 
consistent oyster seed supplies, and continued biological 
research. 
Harvesting capability 
The Atlantic oyster fishery has highly mechanized gear 
available for harvesting, but it cannot be used to its full 
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