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Water Quality in the Rappahannock River and its Effect on Oysters. Kevin Gill. Issues. Oyster populations have dropped dramatically over the past hundred years due to overfishing, habitat loss, and disease Oysters have been unable to develop resistance to these diseases
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Water Quality in the Rappahannock River and its Effect on Oysters Kevin Gill
Issues • Oyster populations have dropped dramatically over the past hundred years due to overfishing, habitat loss, and disease • Oysters have been unable to develop resistance to these diseases • Rappahannock River Oysters harvests and sells 2.5 million oysters per year
Issues • Nutrients, pesticides, and wastewater runoff into the river have contributed to the high salinity that allows the pathogens to thrive • This runoff also lowers the overall water quality of the water in the Rappahannock River and in the Chesapeake Bay, which has many of the same problems
Solutions • Rappahannock River Oysters to lower there harvesting to 2 million per year • Community can limit farm runoff and not allow the coming population boom to increase pollution • Limit amount of fishing done on an individual level