The Potential for Eutrophication Mitigation from Aquaculture of the Native Oyster, Crassostrea virginica, in Chesapeake Bay: Quantitative Assessment of an Ecosystem Service

Abstract

THE POTENTIAL FOR EUTROPHICATION MITIGATION FROM NATIVE OYSTER AQUACULTURE IN CHESAPEAKE BAY, CRASSOSTREA VIRGINICA: QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT OF AN ECOSYSTEM SERVICE By Colleen B. Higgins, Ph.D. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Integrative Life Sciences, at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2011. Major Director: Bonnie L. Brown, Professor, Department of Biology Native oysters have been promoted as a means to improve water quality in Chesapeake Bay. This project added important insights into the potential of oyster aquaculture to process and remove nutrients from Bay waters. Results clarified that nutrient removal of nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and carbon (C) through harvest of cultivated oyster biomass can be quantified and modeled with high levels of statistical confidence. A simple, yet accurate, method is now available for estimating the amount of nutrients removed via harvesting aquacultured oysters. Based on model estimates, 10 harvest sized oysters (76 mm TL) remove 132 kg TN, 19 kg TP, and 3,823 kg TC. Previous work suggested that potentially substantial quantities of N may be removed through enhancement of the coupled nitrification-denitrification pathway in sediments as a result of oyster biodeposition. Using N and N2/Ar methods to measure N2 production in sediments, encompassing direct denitrification (DNF), coupled nitrification-