One thing I would be interested in is the effect of this drought on the
introduced species Rapana veinosa. I guess I will have to take a trek down to
the mouth of the Potomac River to take a look.

Sarah Watson
Deep in the heart of the first state that imposed water restrictions


Drought Jeopardizes Bay Oysters

.c The Associated Press

 ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - The drought has been a mixed blessing for the
Chesapeake Bay's oyster population.

It is reducing fresh water flow into the bay, increasing salinity. That hurts
the oysters because increased salinity encourages growth of oyster diseases
such as dermo and MSX. However, saltier water also helps oysters reproduce.

Researchers won't know the net effect until October, when biologists begin
their annual sampling of oyster bars, said Chris Judy, director of the
Department of Natural Resources shellfish division.

The change in the water composition will affect other species as well.
Saltier water typically leads to more stinging sea nettles, which in turn eat
tenophores, a jellyfish that consumes bay anchovies, the biggest food source
for the bay's larger fish. With tenophores down, scientists expect a banner
year for the critically important anchovy.

Judy and other bay managers say more is at stake than the oysters'
contribution to water quality - they filter and clean bay water - and the
seafood economy.

In the past few years, political and financial support has been building
toward a major attempt at restoring the bay's oyster population, estimated to
be as low as 1 percent of historic levels. A massive oyster die-off alone
would be enough to declare the drought a loser for the Chesapeake.

In theory, water quality in the bay should benefit from the drought, because
fewer pollutants will be washed from the land, scientists say.

BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) - The Federation of Fly Fishers has announced that the
Snake River is one of the five most endangered fisheries in the nation.

The fish habitats face immediate danger, with some of the world's most prized
species on the verge of extinction, the group said at its international
conference in Gatlinburg, Tenn.

The Snake River is in trouble because of federal dams impeding the migration
of salmon and steelhead. Federation members cited eight dams along the
Columbia and Snake Rivers that they say block the passage of 95 percent of
young salmon trying to transverse them.

Organization members also said the health of the river is poor, resulting in
the listing of nearly every species of salmon under the Endangered Species
Act.

The federation also named Wolf River, Wis., Crooked Creek, Ark., Big Spring
Run, Pa., and San Joaquin River, Calif.

It said Wolf River faces a potential new mining hazard, Crooked Creek has
degrading water quality from existing gravel mining, Big Spring Run has
improper hatchery operations that create poor water quality and San Joaquin
River's steelhead population is being devastated by development, logging and
mining.

``Several priceless species have nearly been wiped out by habitat
destruction, pollution and poor watershed management,'' said Greg Pitts,
president of the Bozeman-based Federation of Flyfishers, which seeks to
educate and promote conservation through the sport. ``But more than the
health of fish is at stake. The value of these fisheries, both the direct
economic value to the region and the intrinsic value of the species
themselves are tremendous.''

AP-NY-08-10-99 0134EDT

 Copyright 1999 The Associated Press.  The information  contained in the AP
news report may not be published,  broadcast, rewritten or otherwise
distributed without  prior written authority of The Associated Press.