Researchers to hold lecture about oyster and clam health in the Chesapeake Bay
BALTIMORE - The Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology, IMET, wants to help people learn more about oyster and clam research in the Chesapeake Bay.
Researchers tell WJZ that our interaction with oysters and clams can affect the Bay's overall health, and they want you to be more informed.
There is a way you can participate in this conversation and get your questions answered. IMET scientists, educators and researchers are opening their doors for their lecture series.
Their goal is to share the research they are doing and answer questions people may have about oysters and the Bay's impact on them.
Allison Tracy will be leading the lecture.
"Oysters in the Chesapeake Bay have faced a lot of challenges," she said. "They are at historic lows, but the efforts that are happening now on the restoration front end for aquaculture and the wild fishery are really promising to bring back the population and in ways that are important for ecosystems for people."
She says the conversation will range from how you recycle oyster shells to how they can impact the Bay's overall health.
Tracy is an assistant professor involved with IMET IMET, the University of Maryland Baltimore County and the University of Maryland Baltimore.
She studies the interaction between oysters and clams and the microorganisms that affect them.
"So ultimately, what we're hoping is we can learn more about those detrimental and beneficial relationships so that includes diseases but also, you know, their microbiome, just like we have beneficial bacteria in our gut, oysters and clams also have these —make these microbiomes of sorts," Tracy said. "So then we want to know how those relationships with microorganisms might affect oysters and clams ability to respond to environmental stress"
Tracy told WJZ a lot of what we do impacts the Bay, and something as small as an oyster can impact our overall ecosystem — including the seafood on our plates.
The lecture will be held Thursday, February 22 at 6:00 p.m. at IMET in the 2nd Floor Auditorium.