How would an Asian oyster introduction affect the Chesapeake Bay?
Despite much excellent research, scientists cannot say with certainty that an introduction would be successful, or even provide promised benefits like ecological services and sustainable harvests. And we cannot say for sure that it would be safe. Research indicates that the Asian oyster is signficantly more likely than our native oyster to harbor human pathogens that cause gastroenteritis. And research has also shown that the Asian oyster is susceptible to a disease that decimated experimental populations in North Carolina. We do know that an introduction would be irreversible. And even if Asian oysters are sterile when introduced, they would eventually spread to waters outside the Chesapeake Bay. Will the Asian oyster become invasive? Invasive species damage the lands and waters that native plants and animals need to survive. They hurt economies and threaten human well-being. The estimated damage from invasive species worldwide totals more than $1.4 trillion — five percent of the glob
