Regional Economic Impacts of Oyster Restoration and Seagrass Die-off In Virginia’s Middle Peninsula

Synopsis of Work

Oysters and seagrass provide a wide suite of benefits to the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem, but these foundational habitats have been reduced by overharvesting, climate change, and poor water quality conditions. An extensive restoration effort is ongoing to restore 10 Chesapeake Bay tributaries by 2025, two of which being the York and Piankatank Rivers in Virginia’s Middle Peninsula. Meanwhile, seagrass monitoring surveys have shown little recovery of the once dominant Eelgrass (Zostera marina). Two ecosystem models are being developed with the Ecopath with Ecosim software to simulate the effects of varying degrees of habitat change within the system. The results will be input into an economic-impact model modified to fit the expenditures of local, commercial fishers in order to estimate the regional economic impacts of oyster restoration and seagrass die-off in the Virginia Middle Peninsula and provide Managers with an estimation of the benefits associated with restoration.

In the Media

Virginia Middle Peninsula Selected as a New NOAA Habitat Focus Area

Presentations

  • Hoyt, E.E., M.S. Woodstock, P. Piavis, D. Sanderson-Kilchenstein, T. Ihde. (2023). An exploration of natural mortality and maximum age for Chesapeake Bay fishes. American Fisheries Society National Meeting. Grand Rapids, MI. Poster

  • Bevans, A.T., M. Sulyman, M.S. Woodstock, S. Knoche, T. Ihde. (2023). Modeling habitat change effects in the York River ecosystem, Chesapeake Bay. American Fisheries Society National Meeting. Grand Rapids, MI.

  • Woodstock, M.S., A.T. Bevans, M. Sulyman, S. Knoche, T. Ihde. (2023). The ecosystem-scale impacts of living habitat change in Virginia’s Middle Peninsula. American Fisheries Society National Meeting. Grand Rapids, MI.

  • Bevans, A.T., M. Sulyman, M.S. Woodstock, S. Knoche, T. Ihde. (2023). Improving our understanding of habitat changes in the Chesapeake Bay with a York River ecosystem model. York River Science Symposium, Gloucester, VA. Poster

  • Bevans, A.T., M. Sulyman, M.S. Woodstock, S. Knoche, T. Ihde. (2023). Improving our understanding of habitat changes in the Chesapeake Bay with a York River ecosystem model. Morgan State University Spring Into Research Graduate Symposium. Baltimore, MD.

  • Sulyman, M., A.T. Bevans, M.S. Woodstock, S. Knoche, T.F. Ihde. (2023). Virginia’s Middle Peninsula Habitat Focus Area: the Economic Impacts of Resource Restoration and Habitat Change. Morgan State University Spring Into Research Graduate Symposium. Baltimore, MD. Poster

  • Hoyt, E.E., M.S. Woodstock, T.F. Ihde. (2023). An exploration of age and growth estiamtes for fishes in the Chesapeake Bay. American Fisheries Society Tidewater Chapter Meeting. Solomon’s Island, MD. Poster

  • Bevans, A.T., M. Sulyman, M.S. Woodstock, S. Knoche, T. Ihde. (2023). Improving our understanding of habitat changes in the Chesapeake Bay with a York River ecosystem model. American Fisheries Society Tidewater Chapter Meeting. Solomon’s Island, MD. Poster

  • Hoyt, E.E., M.S. Woodstock, T.F. Ihde. (2022). A case for tributary-specific age/growth estimates for fishes in the Chesapeake Bay. Chesapeake Watershed Forum. Southern Maryland Marine Science Symposium. St. Mary’s, MD. Poster

  • Bevans, A.T., M. Sulyman, M.S. Woodstock, S. Knoche, T. Ihde. (2022). Virginia’s Middle Peninsula Habitat Focus Area: the Economic Impacts of Resource Restoration and Habitat Change. Southern Maryland Marine Science Symposium. St. Mary’s, MD. Poster

  • Bevans, A.T., M. Sulyman, M.S. Woodstock, S. Knoche, T. Ihde. (2022). Estimating the Commercial Fishing Effects of Habitat Restoration in Virginia’s Middle Peninsula. Chesapeake Oyster Alliance Meeting.

  • Hoyt, E.E., M.S. Woodstock, T.F. Ihde. (2022). A case for tributary-specific age/growth estimates for fishes in the Chesapeake Bay. Chesapeake Watershed Forum. Shepardstown, WV. Poster

  • Sulyman, M., A.T. Bevans, M.S. Woodstock, S. Knoche, T.F. Ihde. (2022). Virginia’s Middle Peninsula Habitat Focus Area: the Economic Impacts of Resource Restoration and Habitat Change. Chesapeake Watershed Forum. Shepardstown, WV. Poster

Collaborators

Chesapeake Bay Multispecies Monitoring and Assessment Program
Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Virginia
Morgan State University Patuxent Environmental and Aquatic Research Lab
NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office
Virginia Institute of Marine Science Molluscan Ecology Lab
Virginia Marine Resources Commission
Virginia Institute of Marine Science Seagrass Monitoring and Restoration Lab