Corps rejects Asian oysters for Chesapeake Bay

BALTIMORE, MD – (AP) The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and state and federal officials have decided against introducing Asian oysters into the Chesapeake Bay.

Col. Dionysios Anninos, head of the corps' Norfolk district, says the nonnative oysters pose "unpredictable ecological risk." Instead, Maryland, Virginia and the federal government will work on trying to restore the bay's native oyster population. But officials caution that the effort will be expensive, and there's no guarantee of broad success.

The corps studied the possibility of introducing Asian oysters for 5 years, at a cost of about $17 million that was shared by the states and the federal government.

Officials estimate that restoring the native oyster fishery will cost $50 million a year over 10 years. About $5 million a year has been spent since 1994.