Genetic Improvement of the Eastern Oyster for Growth and Disease Resistance in the Northeast Fact Sheet 210

For over a century, harvests of eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) have been declining in the northeast. This trend has been particularly acute in the mid-Atlantic region where two diseases, MSX and Dermo, have caused catastrophic mortalities. With the reduction in natural populations, growers have increasingly turned to the use of hatchery technology for annual supplies of seed oysters. Today, many commercial shellfish culture operations in the region, especially around Long Island Sound and the New England states, either operate their own hatchery/nursery or purchase hatchery produced seed.