DEVELOPING BASELINE POPULATION AND DIVERSITY STATISTICS FOR ASSESSING AQUACULTURE'S ROLE IN RESTORATION OF EASTERN OYSTERS Crassostrea virginica IN DELAWARE INLAND BAYS  

Delaware is currently the only state on the Northeast Atlantic seaboard without commercial shellfish aquaculture. As the push for legalized aquaculture grows, legislation is developing policy and protocols for implementation. Neighboring states have shown the economic and cultural benefits of functioning industry.  Three inland bays in Southern Delaware, due to protection from open waters and ease of access for workers, offer promising future locations for bottom leases. Oysters are functionally extinct within the Bays and with the rapid development of the local watershed, the ecological services oysters contribute are more important than ever. Oyster aquaculture can help restore depleted wild populations of oysters while filtering the water, providing structural habitat, and creating a new sources of jobs.  There is a unique opportunity to study directly how aquaculture facilitates restoration, but baseline statics are essential.  This research aims to further understand the current oyster population by 1) developing baseline population locations and standardized survey methods to be used as a management to measure changes over time and 2) investigating population dynamics by analyzing genetics of spatfall within the Delaware Inland Bays.