Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Defining Optimal Freshwater Flow for Oyster Production: Effects of Freshet Rate and Magnitude of Change and Duration on Eastern Oysters and Perkinsus marinus Infection

Estuaries and Coasts volume 32, pages 522–534 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

In coastal Louisiana, the development of large-scale freshwater diversion projects has led to controversy over their effects on oyster resources. Using controlled laboratory experiments in combination with a field study, we examined the effects of pulsed freshwater events (freshet) of different magnitude, duration, and rate of change on oyster resources. Laboratory and field evidence indicate that low salinity events (<5 psu) decreased Perkinsus marinus infection intensities. Furthermore, when salinity was low (<5 psu), parasite infection intensities continued to decrease even as temperatures exceeded 20°C. At the same time, oyster growth was positively correlated with salinity. To maximize oyster production, data indicate that both low and high salinity events will be necessary.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

We’re sorry, something doesn't seem to be working properly.

Please try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, please contact support so we can address the problem.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

References

  • Breithaupt, R.L., and R.J. Dugas. 1979. A study of the southern oyster drill (Thais heamastoma) distribution and density on the oyster seed grounds. Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Communications, Technical Bulletin 30: 20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burreson, E.M., and L.M. Ragone-Calvo. 1996. Epizootiology of Perkinsus marinus disease of oysters in Chesapeake Bay, with emphasis on data since 1985. Journal of Shellfish Research 15: 17–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bushek, E.D., S.E. Ford, and S.K. Allen Jr. 1994. Evaluation of methods using Ray’s fluid thioglycollate medium for diagnosis of Perkinsus marinus infection in the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica. Annual Reviews Fish Disease 4: 201–217. doi:10.1016/0959-8030(94)90029-9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Butler, P.A. 1949. Gametogenesis in the oyster under conditions of depressed salinity. Biological Bulletin (Woods Hole) 96: 263–269. doi:10.2307/1538361.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Butler, P.A. 1952. Growth and mortality rates in sibling and unrelated oyster populations. Proceedings of the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute 4: 71.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buzan, D., W. Lee, J. Culbertson, N. Kuhn, and L. Robinson. 2009. Positive relationship between freshwater inflow and oyster abundance in Galveston Bay, Texas. Estuaries and Coasts 32: 206–212. doi:10-1007/s12237-008-9078.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chatry, M., R.J. Dugas, and K.A. Easley. 1983. Optimum salinity regime for oyster production on Louisiana’s state seed grounds. Contributions in Marine Science 26: 81–94.

    Google Scholar 

  • Christensen, J.D., M.E. Monaco, T.A. Battista, C.J. Klein, R.J. Livingston, G. Woodsum, B. Galeprin and W. Huang. 1998. Potential impacts of reduced freshwater inflow on Apalachicola Bay. In: FL oyster (Crassostrea virginica) populations: coupling hydrologic and biological models, 58. Silver Springs, MD, NOAA/NOS Strategic Environmental Assessments Division.

  • Chu, F.E., and J.F. La Peyre. 1993. Perkinsus marinus susceptibility and defense-related activities in eastern oysters Croassostrea virginica: temperature effects. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 16: 223–234. doi:10.3354/dao016223.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chu, F.E., J.F. La Peyre, and C.S. Burreson. 1993. Perkinsus marinus infection and potential defense-related activities in eastern oysters, Crassostrea virginica: salinity effects. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 62: 226–232. doi:10.1006/jipa.1993.1104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Craig, A., E.N. Powell, R.R. Fay, and J.M. Brooks. 1989. Distribution of Perkinsus marinus in gulf-coast oyster populations. Estuaries 12: 82–91. doi:10.2307/1351499.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Coen, L.D., and R.E. Grizzle. 2007. The importance of habitat created by molluscan shellfish to managed species along the Atlantic coast of the United States, 108. Washington DC: ASMFC Habitat Management Series No. 8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dame, R. 1996. Ecology of marine bivalves: an ecosystem approach, 254. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Marine Science Series.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fisher, W.S., and L.M. Oliver. 1996. A whole-oyster procedure for diagnosis of Perkinsus marinus disease using Ray’s fluid thioglycollate culture medium. Journal of Shellfish Research 15: 109–118.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ford, S.E., and M.M. Chintala. 2006. Northward expansion of a marine parasite: testing the role of temperature adaptation. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 339: 226–235. doi:10.1016/j.jembe.2006.08.004.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ford, S.E., and R. Smolowitz. 2007. Infection dynamics of an oyster parasite in its newly expanded range. Marine Biology 151: 119–133. doi:10.1007/s00227-006-0454-6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ford, S.E., Z. Xu, and G. Debrosse. 2001. Use of filtration and UV irradiation to prevent infection by Haplosporidium nelsoni (MSX) and Perkinsus marinus (dermo) in hatchery-reared larval and juvenile oysters. Aquaculture 194: 37–49. doi:10.1016/S0044-8486(00)00507-X.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Galtsoff, P.S. 1964. The American oyster Crassostrea virginica Gmelin. US Fisheries Bulletin 64: 1–480.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grizzle, R.E., and R.A. Lutz. 1989. A statistical model relating horizontal seston fluxes and bottom sediment characteristics to growth of Mercenaria mercenaria. Marine Biology 102: 95–105. doi:10.1007/BF00391327.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hewatt, W.G., and J.D. Andrews. 1956. Temperature control experiments on the fungus disease, Dermocystidium marinum, of oysters. Proceedings of the National Shellfisheries Association 46: 129–133.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kimmerer, W.J. 2002. Physical, biological and management responses to variable freshwater flow into the San Francisco Estuary. Estuaries 25: 1275–1290. doi:10.1007/BF02692224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • La Peyre, M.K., A.D. Nickens, A.K. Volety, G.S. Tolley, and J.F. La Peyre. 2003. Environmental significance of freshets in reducing Perkinsus marinus infection in eastern oysters Crassostrea virginica: potential management applications. Marine Ecology Progress Series 248: 165–176. doi:10.3354/meps248165.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • La Peyre, M.K., S.M. Casas, and J.F. La Peyre. 2006. Salinity effects on viability, metabolic activity and proliferation of three Perkinsus species. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 71: 59–74. doi:10.3354/dao071059.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • La Peyre, M.K., S.M. Casas, A. Villalba, and J.F. La Peyre. 2008. Determination of the effects of temperature on viability, metabolic activity and proliferation of two Perkinsus species, and its significance to understanding seasonal cycles of perkinsosis. Parasitology 135: 505–519.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lenihan, H., C.H. Peterson, and J.M. Allen. 1996. Does flow speed also have a direct effect on growth of active suspension-feeders: an experimental test on oysters. Limnology and Oceanography 41: 1359–1366.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Livingston, R.J., F.G. Lewis, G.C. Woodsum, X.F. Niu, et al. 2000. Modeling oyster population response to variation in freshwater input. Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science 50: 655–672. doi:10.1006/ecss.1999.0597.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loosanoff, V.L. 1953. Behavior of oysters in water of low salinities. Proceedings of the National Shellfisheries Association 43: 135–151.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loosanoff, V.L. 1965. The American or eastern oyster. U.S. Department of the Interior Circular 205: 1–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lucas, A., and P.G. Beninger. 1985. The use of physiological condition indices in marine bivalve aquaculture. Aquaculture 44: 187–200. doi:10.1016/0044-8486(85)90243-1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lytle, D.A., and N.L. Poff. 2004. Adaptation to natural flow regimes. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 19: 94–100. doi:10.1016/j.tree.2003.10.002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacKenzie, C.L. Jr. 1977. Development of an aquaculture program for rehabilitation of damaged oyster reefs in Mississippi. US NMFS Marine Fisheries Review 39(8): 1–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mackin, J.G. 1956. Dermocystidium marinum and salinity. Proceedings of the National Shellfisheries Association 46: 116–128.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mackin, J.G. 1962. Oyster disease caused by Dermocystidium marinum and other microorganisms in Louisiana. Texas Institute of Marine Science Publication 7: 132–229.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mann, R. 1978. A comparison of morphometric, biochemical, and physiological indices of condition in marine bivalve mollusks. In Early and environmental stress in aquatic systems. US Department of Energy, Symposium Series (771114), eds. Thorp, J.H., Gibbons, J.W., 484–497. Woods Hole, MA: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • May, E.B. 1972. The effect of floodwater on oysters in Mobile Bay. Proceedings of the National Shellfisheries Association 62: 67–71.

    Google Scholar 

  • Montagna, P.A., R.D. Kalke, and C. Ritter. 2002. Effect of restored freshwater inflow on macrofauna and meiofauna in upper Rincon Bayou, Texas. Estuaries 25: 1436–1447. doi:10.1007/BF02692237.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Montague, C.L., and J.A. Ley. 1993. A possible effect of salinity fluctuation on abundance of benthic vegetation and associated fauna in northeastern Florida Bay. Estuaries 16: 703–717. doi:10.2307/1352429.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • O’Farrell, C., J.F. La Peyre, K.T. Paynter, and E.M. Burreson. 2000. Osmotic tolerance and volume regulation in vitro cultures of the oyster pathogen Perkinsus marinus. Journal of Shellfish Research 19: 139–145.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oliver, L.M., W.S. Fisher, S.E. Ford, L.M. Ragone-Calvo, E.M. Burreson, E.B. Sutton, and J. Gandy. 1998. Perkinsus marinus tissue distribution and seasonal variation in oysters Crassostrea virginica from Florida, Virginia and New York. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 34: 51–61. doi:10.3354/dao034051.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Palmer, M.A., C.A.R. Liermann, C. Nilsson, M. Florke, J. Alcamo, P.S. Lake, and N. Bond. 2008. Climate change and the world’s river basins: anticipating management options. Frontiers in Ecology and Environment 6: 81–89. doi:10.1890/060148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Plunket, J., and M.K. La Peyre. 2005. Oyster beds as fish and macroinvertebrate habitat in Barataria Bay, Louisiana. Bulletin of Marine Science 77: 155–164.

    Google Scholar 

  • Poff, N.L., J.D. Olden, D.M. Merritt, and D.M. Pepin. 2007. Homogenization of regional river dynamics by dams and global biodiversity implications. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104: 5732–5737. doi:10.1073/pnas.0609812104.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Postel, S., and B. Richter. 2003. Rivers for life: managing water for people and nature. Washington, DC: Island.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quick, J.A., and J.G. Mackin. 1971. Oyster parasitism by Labyrinthomyxa marina in Florida. Florida Department of Natural Resources. Marine Research Laboratory. Professional Paper Series No. 13. 55 pp.

  • Ragone Calvo, L.M., and E.M. Burreson. 1993. Effect of salinity on infection progression and pathogenicity of Perkinsus marinus in the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin). Journal of Shellfish Research 12: 1–7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ray, S.M. 1954. Biological studies of Dermocystidium marinum, a fungus parasite of oysters. Rice Institute Pamphlet Special Issue, November 1954.

  • Snedden, G.A., J.E. Cable, C. Swarzenski, and E. Swenson. 2007. Sediment discharge into a subsiding Louisiana deltaic estuary through a Mississippi River diversion. Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science 71: 181–193. doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2006.06.035.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soniat, T.M. 1985. Changes in levels of infection of oysters by Perkinsus marinus, with special reference to the interaction of temperature and salinity upon parasitism. Northeast Gulf Science 7(2): 171–174.

    Google Scholar 

  • Soniat, T.M. 1996. Epizootiology of Perkinsus marinus disease of eastern oysters in the Gulf of Mexico. Journal of Shellfish Research 15: 35–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Soniat, T.M., and J.D. Gauthier. 1989. The prevalence and intensity of Perkinsus marinus from the mid northern Gulf of Mexico, with comments on the relationship of the oyster parasite to temperature and salinity. Tulane Studies in Zoology and Botany 27: 21–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Soniat, T.M., and E.V. Kortright. 1998. Estimating time to critical levels of Perkinsus marinus in Eastern oysters, Crossostrea virginica. Journal of Shellfish Research 17: 1071–1080.

    Google Scholar 

  • Soniat, T.M., J.M. Klinck, and E.M. Powell. 2005. Understanding the success and failure of oyster populations: climatic cycles and Perkinsus marinus. Journal of Shellfish Research 24: 83–93.

    Google Scholar 

  • Supan, J.E., and C.A. Wilson. 2001. Analyses of gonadal cycling by oyster broodstock, Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin), in Louisiana. Journal of Shellfish Research 20: 215–220.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turner, R.E. 2006. Will lowering estuarine salinity increase Gulf of Mexico oyster landings? Estuaries and Coasts 29: 345–352.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turner, R.E. 2009. Comments on Buzan et al. “Positive relationships between freshwater inflow and oyster abundance in Galveston Bay, Texas”. Estuaries and Coasts 32: 213–217. doi:10.1007/s12237-008-9113-0.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walne, P.R. 1972. The influence of current speed, body size and water temperature on the filtration rate of five species of bivalves. Journal of Marine Biology 52: 345–374.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, H., M.A. Harwell, L. Edmiston, E. Johnson, P. Hsieh, K. Milla, J. Christensen, J. Stewart, and X. Liu. 2008. Modeling oyster growth rate by coupling oyster population and hydrodynamic models for Apalachicola Bay, Florida, USA. Ecological Modeling 211: 77–89. doi:10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2007.08.018.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zar, J.H. 1984. Biostatistical analysis. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank Lane Simmons, Charlie Demas, and David Walters with the USGS Water Resources Division for their help in acquiring water quality data and in providing logistical field support to collect field samples. Thanks to Sandra Casas for helping in the field and for reviewing the manuscript and to Chris Dungan for comments on a draft of this manuscript. Also thanks to John Supan for providing oysters for the research. This research was funded through the National Sea Grant Gulf Oyster Industry Program LSU AgCenter contribution number 2008-242-2215. The use of trade, product, industry or firm names, or products is for informative purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement by the US Government or the US Geological Survey.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Bryan Gossman

    Present address: Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, Office of Coastal Restoration and Management, CERM Building Suite 309, 2045 Lakeshore Dr., New Orleans, LA, 70122, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Louisiana Fish and Wildlife Cooperative Research Unit, School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA

    Megan K. La Peyre

  2. School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA

    Bryan Gossman

  3. Department of Veterinary Science, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA

    Jerome F. La Peyre

Authors
  1. Megan K. La Peyre
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Bryan Gossman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jerome F. La Peyre
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Megan K. La Peyre.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

La Peyre, M.K., Gossman, B. & La Peyre, J.F. Defining Optimal Freshwater Flow for Oyster Production: Effects of Freshet Rate and Magnitude of Change and Duration on Eastern Oysters and Perkinsus marinus Infection. Estuaries and Coasts 32, 522–534 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-009-9149-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-009-9149-9

Keywords

  • Freshwater diversion
  • Oyster
  • Growth
  • Mortality
  • Condition
  • Disease
  • Perkinsus
  • Dermo
  • Protist parasite
  • Louisiana

Search

Navigation