As Horn Point Laboratory’s Louis Plough pointed out during a recent Spy interview, the oyster world of research is a small one, so it was no real surprise for he and his colleague Matt Gray would finally be working together after knowing each other for so long. And because of that fact, it’s also not a shock to see how much enjoyment they have working together. But there should be heavy stress on the word “work” since their current research project might have significant implications for the Chesapeake ecosystem.
Over the next three years, Drs. Plough and Gray, along with a team of students and research assistants, will be exploring the impact of oysters raised in a hatchery environment. While there may be a common assumption that these oysters would be no different from those that breed naturally in the Chesapeake, these scientists have more than a hunch that their biological makeup is altered enough in that environment to have some impact of the Bay and its existing sea life. How much impact is yet to be known at this early stage of the project, but with the increasing growth of oyster hatcheries, their findings could be essential information as this new industry moves forward.
The Spy sat down with Matt and Louis at Horn Point last month to get to know them and their important work.
This video is approximately five minutes in length. For more information about Horn Point Laboratory please go here. To learn more on genetics and what is in our waters from Louis Plough at Science Bytes Thursday, October 18 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm at Piazza Italian Market. Register here
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