Improving Production of the Eastern Oyster Crassostrea virginica through Coordination of Genetic Improvement Programs, Research, and Technology Transfer Activities

The East Coast Shellfish Growers Association has been actively advocating for continued improvement of breeding infrastructure to support a vibrant and ecologically crucial industry. This white paper acknowledges these efforts and is meant to serve as a paradigm for oyster breeding on the East Coast. The vision is relatively straightforward; however, its execution—like most things—will be fraught with detail and inertia. Yet describing simply the idea without articulating some detail and potential roadblocks would be misleading. Instead, we present a picture of a breeding paradigm as it might play out across the entire range of a species. At this particular time, when there is increasing interest in oyster aquaculture and the breeding that supports it, and with incipient programs emerging in the Northeast and Gulf, this ‘‘plea’’ for a common approach is meant to help unify shellfish breeding