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Oyster reefs at risk and recommendations for conservation, restoration, and management
Citation
Beck, MW and Brumbaugh, RD and Airoldi, L and Carranza, A and Coen, LD and Crawford, C and Defeo, O and Edgar, GJ and Hancock, B and Kay, MC and Lenihan, HS and Luckenbach, MW and Toropova, CL and Zhang, G and Guo, X, Oyster reefs at risk and recommendations for conservation, restoration, and management, Bioscience, 61, (2) pp. 107-116. ISSN 0006-3568 (2011) [Refereed Article]
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Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2010 American Institute of Biological Sciences
Official URL: http://www.aibs.org/
DOI: doi:10.1525/bio.2011.61.2.5
Abstract
Native oyster reefs once dominated many estuaries, ecologically and economically. Centuries of resource extraction exacerbated by coastal degradation
have pushed oyster reefs to the brink of functional extinction worldwide. We examined the condition of oyster reefs across 144 bays and 44
ecoregions; our comparisons of past with present abundances indicate that more than 90% of them have been lost in bays (70%) and ecoregions
(63%). In many bays, more than 99% of oyster reefs have been lost and are functionally extinct. Overall, we estimate that 85% of oyster reefs have
been lost globally. Most of the world’s remaining wild capture of native oysters (> 75%) comes from just five ecoregions in North America, yet
the condition of reefs in these ecoregions is poor at best, except in the Gulf of Mexico. We identify many cost-effective solutions for conservation,
restoration, and the management of fisheries and nonnative species that could reverse these oyster losses and restore reef ecosystem services.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | shellfish, oyster reef, marine conservation, fisheries, habitat restoration |
| Research Division: | Environmental Sciences |
| Research Group: | Environmental Science and Management |
| Research Field: | Conservation and Biodiversity |
| Objective Division: | Environment |
| Objective Group: | Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity |
| Objective Field: | Coastal and Estuarine Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity |
| Author: | Crawford, C (Dr Christine Crawford) |
| Author: | Edgar, GJ (Professor Graham Edgar) |
| ID Code: | 71224 |
| Year Published: | 2011 |
| Web of Science® Times Cited: | 311 |
| Deposited By: | Sustainable Marine Research Collaboration |
| Deposited On: | 2011-07-11 |
| Last Modified: | 2013-03-06 |
| Downloads: | 14 View Download Statistics |
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