Newswise — With the recent announcement that state officials in Virginia have endorsed plans to grow 1.3 million Asian oysters in Virginia waters, debate continues over the introduction of this non-native oyster species into U.S. coastal habitats. Agencies including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have objected to the introduction of the Asian oyster, citing concerns about the animals escaping into the wild and breeding, as well as passing along disease to native species.
Martin Posey, professor and chair of the Department of Biology and Marine Biology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, conducts research focused on working to restore the native oyster population in North Carolina. He is available for comment on the issue of introducing non-native species, based on his research.
"We're not sure the Asian oyster provides the same habitat that the native oyster does, and one of the great values of the native oyster is its habitat," he said. "There have been many cases where species behave extremely differently here than they did in their native habitats, and this could affect us here in North Carolina and throughout the East Coast."
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