Virginia's oyster harvest has increased 10-fold over the past decade, Gov. Bob McDonnell said today.
The harvest went up from 23,000 bushels in 2001 to 236,000 in 2011, McDonnell said.
Also during that time, the dockside value of the harvest increased from $575,000 to $8.26 million.
"I applaud the actions of previous gubernatorial administrations which have helped Virginia oysters to make such a vigorous comeback, and we are committed to furthering the growth of this local industry in the years ahead," McDonnell said in a statement.
Still, the harvest is far below that of the 1960s, when watermen commonly pulled up more than 1 million bushels a year.
The industry has been devastated by two diseases that kill oysters but don't hurt people.
The recent comeback stems largely from a management technique, begun four years ago, in which harvest areas are opened for a season then closed for one to two seasons to give oysters in those areas a chance to grow.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement