Press Releases
Posted on Thursday, July 16, 2009 - General News
WSU Vancouver Oyster Drill Research Receives Grant and makes Breakthrough
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
7/16/2009
CONTACT:
- Steve Sylvester, School of Molecular Biosciences, 360-546-9724, sylveste@vancouver.wsu.edu
- Office of Marketing and Communications, 360-546-9602, news@vancouver.wsu.edu
Vancouver, Wash. - Washington State University Vancouver biochemistry and biophysics professor Steve Sylvester has received a $36,500 grant from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife for his work entitled, "Identification of Chemoattractants and Pheromones of Oyster Drills." Oyster drills are invasive snails that are killing oysters at an increasing rate with no effective control measure. Sylvester's research is looking for ways to alter the drill's reproductive cycle and reduce their numbers. The project takes place from February 16 to June 30, 2010.
Since their introduction in the late 1920s, Japanese and Eastern oyster drills have established themselves in all Washington shellfish growing areas. Oyster drills are a predatory, non-native, parasitic snail that feed on young oysters by drilling a hole in the oyster's shell and eating the meat. These drills do not move very far by themselves. They are can be transported on shells of other oysters and consume up to three oysters each per week.
"Oyster drills are one of the worst enemies of oysters," said Sylvester. "They create serious problems for commercial and recreational shell fishing. Oyster drills can occur in great numbers with a rapid rate of reproduction and potentially wipeout entire oyster beds."
Washington State is responsible for 86 percent of the oyster production on the entire West Coast which accounts for one-sixth of the nation's oysters. The oyster industry contributes $111 million in annual revenue in the Pacific Northwest. "This research has a direct impact on regional and local economies. A low production of oysters reduces income taxes due to lost jobs from fishermen and farmers to restaurateurs and retailers. It creates a cascading economic shift in local and national markets," said Sylvester.
Sunny Bell, an undergraduate research student for Sylvester, was the first reported person in the world to determine the sex of live Japanese oyster drills. This breakthrough will allow Sylvester's research to look for "weak links" in their life-cycles by timing the egg-laying cycle, which is typically from April to July. The ultimate goal is to control the proliferation of the oyster drills.
Currently the only known control measures are to manually scrape oyster drill eggs from oyster shells or stop the transfer of items or organisms from areas where oyster drills are known to live.
WSU Vancouver is celebrating 20 years of bringing quality education, research and service to the citizens of Southwest Washington. The campus is located at 14204 NE Salmon Creek Ave., east of the 134th Street exit from either I-5 or I-205, or via C-Tran bus service. WSU Vancouver offers 16 bachelor's degrees, 10 master's degrees, one doctorate degree and more than 36 fields of study. Learn more at http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu.
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Photo: Sylvester's research bed of Oyster Drills that have sex identification tags.
Drill larvae.
Click on thumbnails for high-resolution images.
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