Nonnative Oysters in the Chesapeake Bay discusses the proposed plan to offset the dramatic decline in the bay's native oysters by introducing disease-resistant reproductive Suminoe oysters from Asia. It suggests this move should be delayed until more is known about the environmental risks, even though carefully regulated cultivation of sterile Asian oysters in contained areas could help the local industry and researchers. It is also noted that even though these oysters eat the excess algae caused by pollution, it could take decades before there are enough of them to improve water quality.

In the decades after the Civil War, Chesapeake Bay became the scene of a life and death struggle to harvest the oyster.

"The native Chesapeake Bay oyster stocks and harvest are at their lowest level in history, and the Virginia oyster industry is being threatened with economic extinction. A number of factors have contributed to this decline, but the three most often cited are: overfishing; environmental degradation, such as diminished water quality and habitat loss; and oyster disease. Concern over the ecologic and economic impact of this decline has led some Virginia scientists to look for other oyster species which may in the long term be used as a substitute species for "Crassostrea virginica". The introduction of an exotic species of oyster into the Chesapeake Bay has social, economic, ecological and political ramifications. In early spring of 1990 the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) of the College of William and Mary submitted a proposal to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission requesting permission to conduct an open water experiment using the Japanese oyster, "Crassostrea gigas", in the York River, one of the tidal rivers of the Chesapeake Bay. The controversy surrounding this proposal and its approval and denial described here, has involved representatives from several state governments, various components of the Chesapeake Bay oyster industry, non-​governmental organizations and public interest groups"--National Sea Grant Library publication website.

This cultural and ecological history explores the rise of Chesapeake’s mighty mollusk from Colonial-era harvesting to contemporary cultivation. Oysters are an essential part of Chesapeake Bay culture and cuisine, as well as the ecological and historical lifeblood of the region. When colonists first sailed these abundant shores, they described massive shoals of foot-long oysters. In later years, however, the bottomless appetite of the Gilded Age and great fleets of skipjacks took their toll. Disease, environmental pressures, and overconsumption decimated the population by the end of the twentieth century. To combat the problem, Virginia began leasing its waters to private oyster farmers. Today, these boutique oyster farms are sustainably meeting the culinary demand of a new generation of connoisseurs. But in Maryland, passionate debate continues among scientists and oystermen whether aquaculture or wild harvesting is the better path. With careful research and interviews with experts, author Kate Livie presents this dynamic story and a glimpse of what the future may hold.