As shucking season begins, the forecast for Chesapeake Bay oysters is worrisome. Record rainfall has made the water less salty — and oysters need salt to thrive. Harvesters may find fewer of them this year, and many will be too small.
And the impact on the struggling shellfish could go well beyond this winter. If climate change means spring and summer deluges become more common, that will be one more obstacle to the effort to rebuild the bay’s once-thriving oyster population.
Jim Mullin, president of the Maryland Oystermen’s Association, said he’s afraid increased rainfall could set back years of work to help oysters.
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