Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Early Post-Settlement Growth in Wild Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica Gemlin 1791) Populations

  • Published:
Estuaries and Coasts Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Management and restoration of wild oyster populations with the ecosystem services they provide require detailed understanding of oyster population dynamics, including temporally and spatially varying growth. Much of the existing literature documenting growth rates for eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) reports growth for large, protected, and/or hatchery-spawned oysters. By following growth of wild oysters set on planted clamshells in Delaware Bay, we document early growth (within the first year) of 21 wild oyster cohorts settling over 8 years and assess the importance of interannual variability in temperature and salinity. In general, oysters follow a linear growth trajectory in the first year of life, interspersed by periods of little to no growth in the colder months. Wild oysters settling in the Delaware Bay mid-salinity region reach a size between 27 and 33 mm in their first year and tend to reach greater shell heights at 1 year of age in higher salinity years and at temperatures averaging 23 °C. Multi-year, population-level estimates of wild growth such as these are important for understanding changes in restored and managed oyster populations, and resulting ecosystem services, under naturally variable conditions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Akaike, H. 1974. A new look at the statistical model identification. IEEE Trans Automatic Control 19: 716–723.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andersen, H., I. Dorresteijn, and J. van der Meer. 2013. Growth and size-dependent loss of newly settled bivalves in tow distant regions of the Wadden Sea. Marine Ecology Progress Series 472: 141–154.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ashleigh, Lowther 2011. Fisheries of the United States 2010. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Current Fishery Statistics No. 2010. Silver Springs, Maryland, USA. 104 pp.

  • Ashton-Alcox, K., Bushek, D., Morson, J., and Munroe, D. 2015. Report of the 2015 Stock Assessment Workshop: New Jersey Delaware Bay Oyster Beds (17th SAW) February 10–11, 2015. 121 pp.

  • Babb, R.M., J. Hearon, C. Tomlin, D. Bushek, K. Ashton-Alcox, and E. Powell. 2008. The Delaware Bay oyster (Crassostrea virginica) restoration program. Journal of Shellfish Research 27(4): 987.

    Google Scholar 

  • Casas, S.M., J. La Peyre, and M.K. La Peyre. 2015. Restoration of oyster reefs in an estuarine lake: population dynamics and shell accretion. Marine Ecology Progress Series 524: 171–184.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Collet, B., P. Boudry, A. Thebault, S. Heurtebise, B. Morand, and A. Gérard. 1999. Relationship between pre-and post-metamorphic growth in the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg). Aquaculture 175(3): 215–226.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fabens, A.J. 1965. Properties and fitting of the von Bertalanffy growth curve. Growth 29: 265–289.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fulford, R.S., D.L. Breitburg, R.I. Newell, W. Kemp, and M. Luckenbach. 2007. Effects of oyster population restoration strategies on phytoplankton biomass in Chesapeake Bay: a flexible modeling approach. Marine Ecology Progress Series 336: 43–61.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fulford, R.S., D.L. Breitburg, M. Luckenbach, and R.I.E. Newell. 2010. Evaluating ecosystem response to oyster restoration and nutrient load reduction with a multispecies bioenergetics model. Ecological Applications 20: 915–934.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gunther, G. 1951. The west Indian tree oyster on the Louisiana coast, and notes on the growth of three Gulf Coast oysters. Science 111: 516–517.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harding, J.M. 2007. Comparison of growth rates between diploid DEBY eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica, Gmelin 1791), triploid eastern oysters, and triploid Suminoe oysters (C. ariakensis, Fugita 1913). Journal of Shellfish Research 26(4): 961–972.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harding, J.A., and R. Mann. 2001. Oyster reefs as fish habitat: opportunistic use of restored reefs by transient fishes. Journal of Shellfish Research 20: 951–959.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hermes, A.L., and E.L. Sikes. 2016. Particulate organic matter higher concentrations, terrestrial sources and losses in bottom waters of the turbidity maximum, Delaware estuary, U.S.a. estuarine. Coastal and Shelf Science 180: 179–189.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hilborn, R., and C.J. Walters. 1992. Quantitative fisheries stock assessment: choice, dynamics and uncertainty, 570 p. New York: Chapman and Hall.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Hofstetter, R.P. 1963. Study of oyster growth and population structure of the public reefs in East Bay, Galveston Bay and Trinity Bay. Texas Game and Fish Commission. Project No. MO-R-4 Sept 1961–1962. 23 pp.

  • Hunt, H.L., and R.E. Scheibling. 1997. Role of early post-settlement mortality in recruitment of benthic marine invertebrates. Marine Ecology Progress Series 155: 269–301.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kellogg, M.L., J.C. Cornwell, M.S. Owens, and K.T. Paynter. 2013. Denitrification and nutrient assimilation on a restored oyster reef. Marine Ecology Progress Series 480: 1–19.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Keough, M.J., and B.J. Downes. 1982. Recruitment of marine invertebrates: the role of active larval choices and early mortality. Oecologia 54: 348–352.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kraeuter, J.N., S. Ford, and M. Cummings. 2007. Oyster growth analysis: a comparison of methods. Journal of Shellfish Research 26: 479–491.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lehnert, R.L., and D.M. Allen. 2002. Nekton use of subtidal oyster shell habitat in a southeastern U.S. estuary. Estuaries 25: 1015–1024.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lester, N.P., B.J. Shuter, and P.A. Abrams. 2004. Interpreting the von Bertalanffy model of somatic growth in fishes: the cost of reproduction. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 271: 1625–1631.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mann, R., and D.A. Evans. 2004. Site selection for oyster habitat rehabilitation in the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay: a commentary. Journal of Shellfish Research 23: 41–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • McSweeney, J.M., R.J. Chant, and C.K. Sommerfield. 2016. Lateral variability of sediment transport in the Delaware estuary. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 121: 725–744.

    Google Scholar 

  • Menzel, R.W., and S.H. Hopkins. 1951. Report on experiments to test the effects of oil well brine or ‘bleedwater’ on oysters at Lake Barre oil field. Vol. 1. 1–130. Report to Texas A. & M. Research Foundation Project Nine. June 26, 1951

  • Menzel, R.W., and S.H. Hopkins. 1955. Growth of oysters parasitized by the fungus Dermocystidium marinum and by the trematode Bucephalus cuculus. Journal of Parasitology 41: 333–342.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Menzel, R.W. 1955. Some phases of the biology of Ostrea equestris Say and a comparison with Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin). Publications of the Institute of Marine Science 4: 69–153.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moore, H.F. 1899. Report on the oyster beds of Louisiana. Report US Commission of Fisheries. 24: 45–100.

    Google Scholar 

  • Munroe, D. 2016. Habitat effects on early post-settlement growth of intertidal clams, Venerupis philippinarum (a. Adams & Reeve, 1850). Journal of Molluscan Studies. doi:10.1093/mollus/eyw014.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nestlerode, J.A., M.W. Luckenbach, and F.X. O’Beirn. 2007. Settlement and survival of the oyster Crassostrea virginica on created oyster reef habitats in Chesapeake Bay. Restoration Ecology 15(2): 273–283.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Newell, R.I. 2004. Ecosystem influences of natural and cultivated populations of suspension-feeding bivalve molluscs: a review. Journal of Shellfish Research 23: 51–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paynter, K.T., V. Politano, H.A. Lane, S.M. Allen, and D. Meritt. 2010. Growth rates and prevalence of Perkinsus marinus in restored oyster populations in Maryland. Journal of Shellfish Research 29(2): 309–317.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paynter, K.T., and L. Dimichele. 1990. Growth of tray-cultured oysters (Crassostrea virginica Gmelin) in Chesapeake Bay. Aquaculture 87: 289–297.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, C.H., J.H. Grabowski, and S.P. Powers. 2003. Estimated enhancement of fish production resulting from restoring oyster reef habitat: quantitative valuation. Marine Ecology Progress Series 264: 249–264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Piazza, B.P., P.D. Banks, and M.K. La Peyre. 2005. The potential for created oyster shell reefs as a sustainable shoreline protection strategy in Louisiana. Restoration Ecology 13: 499–506.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pinsky, M.L., G. Guannel, and K.K. Arkema. 2013. Quantifying wave attenuation to inform coastal habitat conservation. Ecosphere 4(8): 1–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Powell, E.N., J.M. Klinck, K.A. Ashton-Alcox, and J.N. Kraeuter. 2009. Multiple stable reference points in oyster populations: biological relationships for the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) in Delaware Bay. Fisheries Bulletin 107: 109–132.

    Google Scholar 

  • Powell, E.N., D.A. Kreeger, J.M. Morson, D.B. Haidvogel, Z. Wang, R. Thomas, and J.E. Gius. 2012. Oyster food supply in Delaware Bay: estimation from a hydrodynamic model and interaction with the oyster population. Journal of Marine Research 70: 469–503.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R Development Core Team. 2007. R: A language and environment for statistical computing. Vienna: R Foundation for Statistical Computing. ISBN3–900051–07-0, URL: http://www.R-project.org.

  • Sainsbury, K.J. 1980. Effect of individual variability on the von Bertalanffy growth equation. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 37: 241–247.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scyphers, S.B., S.P. Powers, K.L. Heck, and D. Byron. 2011. Oyster reefs as natural breakwaters mitigate shoreline loss and facilitate fisheries. PloS One 6(8): e22396.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shaw, W.N. 1962. Raft culture of oysters in Massachusetts. Fishery Bulletin 61: 481–495.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shaw, W.N. 1963. Comparison of growth of four strains of oysters raised in Taylors pond, Chatham, mass. Fishery Bulletin 63: 11–17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shumway, S.E. 1996. Natural environmental factors. In The eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica, ed. V.S. Kennedy, R.I.E. Newell, and A.F. Eble, 467–513. College Park: Maryland Sea Grant College.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, J., and D. Bushek. 2008. Intertidal oyster reefs can persist and function in a temperate north American Atlantic estuary. Marine Ecology Progress Series 361: 301–306.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walne, P.R., and G. Davies. 1977. The effect of mesh covers on the survival and growth of Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg) grown on the sea bed. Aquaculture 11: 313–321.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Winter, J.E. 1978. A review on the knowledge of suspension-feeding in lamellibranchiate bivalves, with special reference to artificial aquaculture systems. Aquaculture 13(1): 1–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • zu Ermgassen, P.S.E., M.D. Spalding, R.E. Grizzle, and R.D. Brumbaugh. 2013. Quantifying the loss of marine ecosystem services: filtration by the eastern oyster in US estuaries. Estuaries and Coasts 36(1): 36–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the longstanding cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the Delaware Bay Section of the New Jersey Shellfisheries Council, with whom shell-planting efforts are conducted each year. E. McGurk, I. Burt, and J. Gius were integral in data collection and shell plant monitoring. Support for shell planting and monitoring was provided by the state of New Jersey in consultation with the Delaware Bay Section of the Shellfisheries Council and Section 1135 of the USACE Continuing Authorities Program. This work was partially supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hatch project accession numbers 1002345 and 1009201 through the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, Hatch projects NJ32115 and NJ32114.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory, Rutgers University, 6959 Miller Ave, Port Norris, NJ, 08349, USA

    D Munroe, S Borsetti, K Ashton-Alcox & D Bushek

Authors
  1. D Munroe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. S Borsetti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. K Ashton-Alcox
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. D Bushek
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to D Munroe.

Additional information

Communicated by Marco Bartoli

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Munroe, D., Borsetti, S., Ashton-Alcox, K. et al. Early Post-Settlement Growth in Wild Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica Gemlin 1791) Populations. Estuaries and Coasts 40, 880–888 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-016-0185-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-016-0185-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation