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Oyster Habitat Being Restored By Marine Biology Association Ben Maxie Contributing Writer Oysters, while possibly the most overrated seafood, are important bio filters for local water. It is estimated; however, that the oyster population in the Chesapeake Bay has dropped up to 99 percent since preindustrial times due largely to overfishing and diseases. One student organization at Old Dominion University is working with local, non-profit organizations to restore the oyster reefs which were once in Norfolk’s waters. The ODU Marine Biology Student Association’s Oyster Restoration Committee is raising oysters by the Whitehurst Pier. After losing their last crop to the 2014 Nor’easter, the group placed two cages of juveniles in the water last semester. “The hope is that they’ll spawn and attract more oysters to the Whitehurst beach area,” Tyler Harman, chair-
man of the committee, said. The committee works with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), which has several oyster restoration projects. Their largest project involves a 350 acre planted oyster reef in Harris Creek, Maryland. CBF is beginning to see positive results of oyster seeding in Norfolk. “We’re seeing a lot of great [new oyster] recruitment by the mouth of the Lafayette River,” Jackie Shannon, the Virginia Oyster Restoration Manager for the CBF, said. Providing the dead oyster shells young oysters typically grow on creates a problem for their restoration. The dead shells tend to be too expensive for most reseeding projects. The ODU restoration committee is arranging to work with the US Army Corps of Engineers to test cheaper alternatives to shell, such as granite. Oysters have been sliding toward extinction in the Chesapeake Bay
for a considerable length of time. The oyster population started dropping after the Civil War when canning oysters became popular by the Chesapeake Bay. “At their peak, there were around 200,000 acres of oyster reef in the bay. Now there are only around 36,000 acres,” Cate Turner, former chair of the committee, said. Rampant overfishing for over a century lead to depleted populations unable to replenish themselves or the surrounding areas. To make matters worse, two devastating diseases showed up in the 1950’s and have decimated oyster populations ever since. The group at ODU hopes if they can bring oysters back to ODU, the oysters may help to naturally recolonize the surrounding area. More oyster reef is expected to lead to better water quality and more habitat for other species.
Oyster Restoration Committee members, Holly Skaluba, Kathryn Weisner and Tyler Harman, place juvenile oysters in the Elizabeth River, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2015, in Norfolk, Virginia. Photo by: Ben Maxie
Styrofoam? How About a Better Alternative Ben Maxie Contributing Writer Styrofoam, a brand name for foam made out of polystyrene, has come under fire increasingly for environmental concerns. Many restaurants around ODU, from the cafeterias to Cane’s, use polystyrene take-out boxes and cups. It’s not hard to see why. A quick run to Walmart reveals Styrofoam to be considerably cheaper than paper or cardboard, but perhaps we should be searching for a better alternative. Once Styrofoam is made, it never really goes away– one of the major problems with the carryout material. “It never really breaks down. It’s not biodegradable,” Amanda Laverty, an oceanography graduate student at ODU, said. Unlike cardboard or paper, polystyrene is ferociously resistant to water, bacteria, light, or most any other process that degrades other materials. Also, Styrofoam often escapes the trash bin and makes
its way to the ocean. “It accounts for a huge amount of marine debris,” Laverty said. This is problematic for marine life, which sometimes mistakes Styrofoam for food. Laverty added, “ Polystyrene is toxic, it’s really harmful to marine life if it’s ingested.”Polystyrene is also harmful to humans if handled badly. According to Laverty, “There’s evidence that polystyrene releases carcinogens if it’s heated, like, in a microwave.” Hot beverages, like coffee or hot chocolate, are usually put in paper cups for fear of releasing chemicals into the drink. Several major cities including San Jose, Seattle and New York City have banned polystyrene take-out containers. The bans are often enacted due to problems with recycling foodcontaminated material. A July 2015 study by New York City’s Department of Sanitation concluded, “Polystyrene cannot be economically recycled.” The city implemented the ban shortly after.
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Mayor Bill de Blasio commented, “By removing nearly 30,000 tons of expanded polystyrene waste from our landfills, streets and waterways, today’s announcement is a major step towards our goal of a greener, greater New York City.” Several universities, as well, have banned polystyrene. The University of California San Diego, for instance, banned Styrofoam in the 1980s after campaigning by three Scripps Institute of Oceanography graduate students. If Styrofoam is heated, it releases dangerous compounds, but even when used safely it is thrown away. Polystyrene isn’t recyclable, which means it is either buried forever in a landfill or makes its way into the environment where it wreaks havoc on marine life. “ These products cause real environmental harm and have no place in New York City. We have better options, better alternatives,” Mayor de Blasio said.
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Plastic waste at Coco Beach, outfall of Mandovi river into the Indian Ocean. By Hajj0 ms (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
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