Seminar on Oysters in Yaquina Bay

Pacific oyster farming. /Photo courtesy of NOAA.

The Hatfield Marine Science Center’s summer seminar continues with a talk on “Tale of Two Oysters: Yaquina Bay - the Pacific and Native oyster.” It takes place on Thursday, July 13, 3:30 p.m., in the auditorium of the Gladys Valley Marine Studies Building at HMSC (2030 S.E. Marine Science Dr. in Newport).

This is a hybrid event; use this link to join via Zoom.

The speaker is Chris Langdon, from the Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station (COMES) and Deptartment of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences. 

About the talk:

"Native oysters were an important component of the ecology of West coast estuaries and a source of food for native Americans. After European settlement in the 1800’s, populations of native oysters declined on the West coast due to overharvesting and other human impacts. Attempts by settlers to replace native oysters as a food source were dependent on the development of railways and shipping that allowed importation of Eastern oysters from the US East coast and Pacific oysters from Japan. Today, the Pacific oyster is the most commonly farmed species both on the US West coast and globally. Researchers at the Hatfield Marine Science Center have been instrumental in the development of hatchery technologies to support seed production for farmers. More recently, genetic quantitative and molecular techniques have been applied to improve oyster yields and help Pacific oyster farmers address future challenges associated with global climate change and ocean acidification."