April 2001

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Diazinon To Be Phased Out For Lawn, Garden And Turf Use By Carol Savonen, Oregon State University As of March 2001, diazinon is legally no longer being manufactured for indoor household use, and will be phased out for outdoor use for all lawn, garden and turf by Dec. 2003. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency phased out the manufacture of chlorpyrifos, or Dursban for nearly all residential uses in December 2000. The EPA is phasing-out the home and yard uses of both these pesticides because of their potential health risks to children. Diazinon is a common active ingredient in household ant and roach sprays and in a wide range of garden and lawn to control insects and grub worms. Both diazinon and chlorpyrifos are in a class of chemicals called organophosphates that affect the nervous system. Children, who spend a lot of time on the grass and on carpeting, have an increased risk of exposure to these pesticides. Diazinon residue in carpeting is often the result of people and pets tracking in pesticides from an outdoor pesticide treatment. According to the EPA, symptoms from over-exposure can include nausea, headaches, vomiting, diarrhea, and general weakness. Diazinon's use on turf poses a risk to birds and it is one of the most commonly found pesticides in air, rain and drinking and surface water. If you have pesticides containing either diazinon or chlorpyrifos and you want to dispose of them safely, contact your local waste disposal service or the Metro Recycling Hotline (toll free) by calling 1-800-732-9253. They provide information on upcoming hazardous waste recycling days anywhere in Oregon. Do you have other questions about how to safely use, store, handle or dispose of garden pesticides? The nation's information bank on pesticides and pesticide safety is headquartered at Oregon State University. The National Pesticide Telecommunications Network (NPTN) has a toll-free phone line and a web site to serve the public. The telephone number for NPTN, which operates out of OSU's Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, is 1-800-858-7378. The NPTN website address is: http://nptn.orst.edu The NPTN website is designed to give browsers quick access to readily understandable pesticide information about products that consumers are most likely to use in and around their homes. NPTN mission is to provide U.S. citizens with a variety of pesticide-related information on pesticide products, label instructions, potential toxic effects, impacts on the environment, alternatives, storage and disposal requirements and to promote informed decision making. They receive more than 24,000 calls per year and more than a million website hits last year. NPTN is a cooperative effort between OSU and the U.S. EPA. For further information on these pesticides and their alternatives, you might want to visit the U.S. EPA's website at: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/op Wheat Growers Testify On Hatchery Salmon Bill From the Oregon Wheat Growers League The Oregon Wheat Growers League (OWGL) offered testimony recently in support of House Bill 3809 before the Oregon House Stream Enhancement and Species Recovery Committee. The Committee, chaired by Representative Bob Jenson (R&emdash;Pendleton), was in Pendleton for field hearings and tours at various sites in Umatilla County. House Bill 3809 would place a moratorium on clubbing hatchery fish to death until a scientific review of differences between hatchery and wild fish, a study of ocean conditions and effects, and other scientific studies are completed. The Wheat Growers expressed strong support for the bill. OWGL Executive Vice President Daren Coppock stated that the wheat growers have two fundamental reasons to be interested and involved in salmon recovery. One is a cultural interest, as most wheat-growing families are longtime residents of the northwest. The other is economic, as some proposed recovery actions will have a direct and severe impact on farmers if they are implemented. "To the extent that salmon recovery measures compromise those essential ingredients," said Cop pock, "they directly impact the ability of my members to run a sustainable business, provide for their families, and pass along their investments and their traditions to their children. We have a strong interest in resolving the salmon situation in a way that makes both biological and economic sense. We're committed to a win-win solution, and to work toward that vision with the Umatilla tribes and other stakeholders." He suggested that the state immediately cease practices that are senseless, such as clubbing returning fish because they were born in a hatchery. "House Bill 3809 would put an end to the goofiest practice the region has ever seen in the realm of salmon recovery&emdash;killing salmon so we can save them. Even my 4-year-old son would question that logic," he said. OWGL pointed out a lack of consistency in how the federal agencies apply the "wild fish policy", which has been used to justify previous fish-clubbing activities. While the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) argues that the policy is valid out here in the west, government attorneys representing the Interior Department argued in court in an Atlantic Salmon case1 that hatchery fish and wild fish are essentially the same. specifically, they argued that the genetic resources necessary to conserve a species "may reside in hatchery fish as well as wild fish". "Selective application of this policy cannot be explained by science," said Coppock. "It is driven by some other agenda." The Wheat Growers' testimony concluded by pointing out the salmon recovery success in the Umatilla River, and supported supplementation and outplanting of surplus hatchery stocks to support fish runs. OWGL hopes that the research activities laid out in HB 3809, along with the moratorium on killing returning hatchery fish, will move the bar forward on effective and sensible salmon recovery. 1 Defenders of Wildlife and Trout Unlimited v. Babbitt WSU Launches Drought Resource Web Site By Terence L. Day, Washington State University Washington State University has created a Web site to help Northwest citizens deal with the regions deepening drought. James Zuiches, dean of the College of Agriculture and Home Economics, said, "Drought Alert provides a variety of information on the drought and how citizens can conserve water and otherwise cope with impacts of the drought." The state is in a declared drought emergency that affects both Eastern and Western Washington. "We could be facing the worst drought since our record-keeping began in 1929," said Gov. Gary Locke. "The WSU Web Site will be a valuable resource for drought news and tips on water conservation. Working together we can keep our farmers and industry in business, meet the needs of our homes, keep our salmon alive and ensure a pure water supply for our people." Zuiches said, "Initially we posted about a dozen publications that will help agricultural producers or city residents deal with the drought. We hope to have another 10 publications or so on-line within a short time." In addition, Drought Alert pages offer news releases, a list of drought-related meetings, and a host of links to drought-related Web sites maintained by other state and federal agencies. Zuiches said some publications are specific to crops, such as sweet corn, hops, asparagus and mint. Others deal with irrigation systems. "Initial offerings will include "Home Water-Saving Methods," "Solar Domestic Water Heating," and "Conserving Water Indoors." Other publications now being prepared will deal with lawns, landscaping, gardening and other topics. The Drought Alert site is located at: http://drought.wsu.edu. Before The Earth Moves Again By H. Dennis Brown, Washington State University Washington State University Cooperative Extension offers two publications on earthquake preparedness which can be downloaded free from the Internet. EB1854e "Earthquake Preparation" and EB1728 "Earthquake&emdash;Emergency Preparation," offer tips on anchoring houses to foundations, helping find utility shut-offs or breakers, securing wood stoves and large furniture that might topple, and preparing a "survival" box of essential supplies. Information on what to do during a quake, tips on assessing damage afterwards and further reading are included in both. The publications can be downloaded free from the WSU Cooperative Extension Educational Materials web site at http://pubs.wsu.edu/. Type "earthquake" into the search box. Printed copies of EB1728 can be ordered from the WSU Cooperative Extension Bulletins Office by calling 1-800-723-1763. Ask for EB1728. Cost is $1 per copy plus shipping, handling and sales tax for Washington residents. EB1854e is available only in an electronic version. USDA Announces Grants For Depressed Rural Areas USDA Secretary Ann Veneman recently announced that $47.5 million in grants are available to develop essential community facilities&emdash;including schools, libraries, fire and rescue, public safety, hospitals, clinics, and multipurpose community centers&emdash;in rural areas experiencing severe unemployment and economic depression. The community facilities grants are made available through USDA's Rural Housing Service and earmarked for rural communities where the "not employed" rate is greater than 19.5 percent. Rural Development offers assistance to develop essential community facilities and services for public use in rural communities with populations of less than 20,000. Authorized by the U.S. Congress, the special grant initiative, is administered through USDA Rural Development's Community Facilities program. Applications will be considered competitively, with communities having the lowest populations and lowest median incomes given selection priority. Other selection criteria include each project's economic feasibility and the program's goal of distributing program funds throughout all regions of the United States. Selections will be made on a month to month basis. Applications may be submitted at any time throughout FY 2001 until the funds are exhausted. Further information and help in preparing an application are available at any USDA Rural Development office serving your community. Information can also be obtained by visiting USDA Rural Development's web site at: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rd/nofas. USDA Rural Development offices are listed in telephone books under United States Government, Department of Agriculture. $305 Million Released To Reduce Wildland Fire Impacts U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman recently announced the release of $305 million to the Forest Service to implement the agency's National Fire Plan. "These funds are important to protect the safety of our communities and for forest restoration," said Veneman. The funds are intended to reduce the impact of wildland fires on natural resources and communities. Specifically, released funding will be used for fuel management projects that safeguard communities and to decrease the unnaturally dense forest vegetation that has accumulated from decades of wildland fire suppression. The projects will be completed in collaboration with communities, states, tribal governments and other government agencies. The emergency funds will also be used to restore and rehabilitate areas damaged by wildfires by planting trees, native grasses, shrubs and some non-native species to insure site stability and competition against invasive species. In addition, the maintenance of current fire facilities and the construction of new ones will support efforts to further improve firefighting capacity. The National Fire Plan is an interagency effort between USDA and the U.S. Department of the Interior. For more information on the National Fire Plan, go to http://www.na.fs.fed.us/nfp/index.htm Early Spring Is Good Time To Prune And Fertilize Roses By Carol Savonen, Oregon State University The old saying that roses are pruned when the forsythia blooms still rings true for most varieties, according to Jan McNeilan, consumer horticulturist with the Oregon State University Extension Service. Most roses bloom on new wood. All roses need some type of pruning. Proper pruning encourages new growth which, in turn, produces more and larger flowers. "If they aren't pruned for a number of years, the plants deteriorate in appearance and often develop more than the usual disease and insect problems, while the flowers become smaller and smaller," McNeilan said. Most kinds of roses, except ramblers and climbers, should be pruned after danger of frost is past. If they are pruned too early, injury from repeated frost may make a second pruning necessary. For small pruning jobs, gloves and sharp hand-pruning shears are the only tools a gardener will need. If the rose canes are large, a set of large loppers or a small saw may be needed for the job. Make cuts on all types of roses at a 45-degree angle above a strong outer bud. Remove all dead and diseased wood by cutting back to a live bud, which will grow a new shoot. Remove all weak shoots and those growing towards the center of the plant. If two branches rub or are close, remove one. On old heavy bushes, cut out one or two of the oldest canes each year. Cut back the remaining healthy canes. The height to which a rose plant should be cut back will vary, depending upon the type of rose. The average pruning height for Floribundas and hybrid teas is between 10 and 15 inches. Taller hybrids and most Grandifloras may be left at two feet. Miniature roses do not need special pruning other than to cut out dead or diseased wood and weak growth. Hips, seed heads left from last year's flowers should be removed. Old-fashioned rambler roses and climbing roses can be pruned after flowering in late summer or early fall to keep them from experiencing wind damage during the winter. Ramblers produce best on one-year-old wood - this year's blooms come on last year's growth. Climbing roses have larger flowers than ramblers and produce roses on wood that is two or more years old. Climbers can be pruned lightly in the fall before frost. In late winter, cut out the dead and diseased canes and remove one or two of the oldest canes at ground level to make room for new vigorous canes. Fertilize roses in early to mid-spring as new growth occurs, and again in the early summer, using a complete fertilizer to supply nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. A 5-10-10 fertilizer works well. Natural Gas Futures Down Pete Fretwell, Far West Agribusiness Association Natural gas futures hit their lowest level since November, 2000, this week. Jim Williams of WTRG Economics tells Far West that forecasts for warmer weather and the latest supply figures helped ease the prices. He adds that a cold snap in the Northeast could send natural gas prices back up. Williams says proposed new California power plants&emdash; suddenly moving along because of the California energy crisis&emdash;will also keep pressure on natural gas prices.  Genomics&emdash; The Future Of Agriculture? Pete Fretwell, Far West Agribusiness Association A University of Wisconsin-Madison biologist says the debate about genetically-modified organisms will soon be a thing of the past. He told the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in San Francisco this week that genomics will soon replace GMO technology. Dr. Robert Goodman says mapping the genomes of crops will allow researchers to control the existing genes in a plant, rather than introducing genes from another species into the plant. Goodman predicts genomics will be the next true revolution in agriculture, allowing third world countries to cope with dwindling resources and growing populations. Goodman believes genomics can avoid the publicity pitfalls GMO's have encountered. Temporary Suspension Lifted On Brazilian Beef Imports The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced that it is lifting the temporary hold on imports of processed beef and associated products from Brazil. This decision was made following a site visit to Brazil by animal health officials, who were able to review and analyze requested data to complete a bovine spongiform encephalopathy risk assessment. Upon reviewing this data, USDA was assured that Brazil has taken sound measures to prevent BSE and that the suspension on imports should be lifted. There are three conditions that imports of Brazilian beef products must meet to enter the United States to ensure the safety of U.S. livestock: 1) Shipments must be certified as containing beef products from cattle that were born and raised in Brazil and not from any imported sources of beef; 2) The beef must come from cattle born after Brazil enacted its 1996 ruminant-to-ruminant feed ban; and 3) Shipments must have a statement accompanying them that certify that the cattle used in the products were exclusively grass-fed and not fed any animal proteins. USDA, along with appropriate federal health agencies, has determined that there is no risk of BSE introduction associated with the import of Brazilian beef and beef products under the above conditions. There is no evidence of BSE in Brazil. Imports are to resume immediately. In announcing the decision, Secretary Ann M. Veneman said, "USDA pledged to work expeditiously to resolve this issue. The Brazilian government has been very cooperative in this effort and we are pleased to announce this decision today."

FMD Factoids From The BBC Information reprinted from the BBC's website What is foot-and-mouth disease? It is a highly infectious viral disease that may even be transmitted through dust particles in air and can prove fatal in pigs, cattle sheep and goats. Infected animals' hooves and mouths become blistered causing lameness, increased salivation and loss of appetite. They rapidly lose weight and produce less milk. Can animals recover from it? Foot-and-mouth kills a small percentage of affected animals&emdash;mostly the old and young. Most animals could recover from the virus although it might leave them weak and lame. There is a vaccine available which is rarely used in the European Union, but widely used in some other parts of the world. If a vaccine is available&emdash;why isn't it used? Vaccination is ruled out mainly for commercial reasons. Vets say vaccinated animals, although free of symptoms, can carry the virus and pass it on to other animals. As a result, countries considered free of the disease refuse to import vaccinated livestock. If the UK decided on vaccination instead of slaughter it would be unable to export livestock to key markets in Europe and the USA. Vets in the UK believe the best way of stopping the spread of foot-and-mouth is to destroy any affected herd, incinerate the carcasses and isolate all affected farms inside a five-mile radius exclusion zone. Another argument against vaccination is that blood tests to distinguish animals which have received vaccines from animals which have contracted the disease are not recognised internationally. There are seven main types of the foot-and-mouth virus and several subtypes of each. The UK virus is "sub-type O". Vaccination might be considered in some parts of the EU if other measures fail to control the epidemic. When was the last epidemic in the UK? The most recent outbreak in Britain was in 1981 on the Isle of Wight&emdash;when 200 cattle and 369 pigs were destroyed. But the last major epidemic was in 1967 and ended in the slaughter of 442,000 animals after more than 2,364 outbreaks were detected. It cost the country an estimated £150m in slaughter costs and lost sales in 1967 and 1968. A total of £27m was paid out to farmers in compensation. Farms had to be scrubbed with disinfectant twice a day and animals were not allowed on to the land for at least six months after the slaughter. The worst outbreaks were in Wales, Cheshire, Shropshire. Are humans in danger? No. Doctors say there is no risk to human health. During the 1967 epidemic one human was diagnosed as having caught the disease and one child was suspected of having it. The disease should not be confused with the similarly named, but completely different condition called hand, foot and mouth disease, which can infect and cause illness, particularly in children. What other countries have it? Foot-and-mouth disease is endemic in many parts of the world, including Africa, the Middle East, Asia and South America. It was thought to have been virtually eradicated in Europe. Until now the most recent outbreak was in Greece last year. North and central America, the Pacific nations and the Caribbean are free of the virus. The Breed's In The Seed By Ron Lovell for Oregon State University In 1853 Johan Gregor Mendel began a series of experiments that revolutionized plant and animal agriculture. The Austrian monk studied how offspring inherit traits from parents by cross-breeding flowers at his Augustinian monastery. His discoveries led to the development of controlled cross-breeding strategies. Now, a marine scientist is using the same techniques to breed a better oyster. "In many ways, oysters may be like corn or other cereal crops in that you have to cross specific lines or families to obtain the best hybrid offspring," says Chris Langdon. The OSU fisheries professor is heading a project called the Molluscan Broodstock Program at Oregon State University's Hatfield Marine Science Center (HMSC) to develop improved Pacific oysters. "The cross-breeding strategy commonly used in agriculture has never been done with oysters before," Langdon says. "Our overall goal has been to develop the best breeding scheme for oysters," he continues. "Inbreeding helps purge the genes-those that can result in oyster death or slow performance. Our goal here is to genetically select oysters that are fast growing and disease resistant." The Molluscan Broodstock Program (MBP) was started in 1995 as a special project funded by the United States Department of Agriculture. "There was a lot of support from the shellfish industry in setting up an oyster broodstock program at HMSC," says Langdon. "The East Coast oyster industry was in decline and growers were looking for a plan to develop a disease-resistant strain. Oregon was a good place to start because there is no serious disease in oysters here." The Pacific oyster also has a long history on the West Coast. It was first brought here from Japan in 1918. "Industry knew from the start that this was the one to produce," Langdon says. Unlike many agricultural industries in the United States, the West Coast oyster industry has never had a coordinated, long-term breeding program to improve commercial production. In effect, according to Langdon, the industry is still based on the culture of wild animals, without the economic benefits associated with domestication. The MBP is designed to help the West Coast oyster industry implement a long-term broodstock selection program to improve future production. During the last five years, technicians have produced and planted about 500 families of Pacific oysters at industry grow-out sites along thousands of miles of coastline stretching from Prince William Sound, Alaska to Tomales Bay, Calif. "We deliberately chose a wide range of sites to test the effects of different environments on genetic expression of oysters," says Langdon. Commercial production begins when broodstock from HMSC is sent to the Whiskey Creek Shellfish Hatchery in Netarts, Ore., the only larval hatchery in the state. It is part of Taylor Shellfish Farms of Shelton, Wash. Here broodstock oysters are spawned and the resulting larvae reared for two weeks on a diet of algae in tanks of various sizes before they are shipped to oyster farms. "Genetically, when you cross two oysters, you don't know what will happen," says Benoit Eudeline, research director at Whiskey Creek. "Oysters from some combinations grow faster than others. You want to pick the ones that grow best. Chris [Langdon] may tell us to cross #54 with #46 to obtain improved growth. We do that and see what happens." Adds Sue Cudd, hatchery manager: "There is a lot less control than if we were raising chickens where you feed them and hold them while they grow. Oysters are fed by nature. It is a mix between farming and nature. It still depends on what nature gives us." After a seven-day first step, larvae are collected in large tanks by sieving them on screens that look like big tambourines. The varying sizes of mesh allows technicians to accomplish certain tasks; for example eliminating non-growing larvae by letting them pass through the screens leaving the usable larvae behind. After 10 days, larval densities are reduced to avoid over-crowding in the last stage of growth. The concentration of algae is increased each week to heighten the amount of food given to the larvae. At the end of two weeks, larvae are measured out into volumetric plastic cones and sold in quantities counted in the millions. A typical shipment contains tens of millions of larvae and looks like wet sand formed into baseball-sized clumps and wrapped in moist white cloth. Then the clumps are placed in Styrofoam boxes and shipped to oyster farms via express mail. The hatchery processes 80 million larvae per day and has up to one billion larvae growing there at any one time, according to Eudeline. One facility receiving larvae from MBP broodstock is Oregon Oyster Farms, located three miles up the Yaquina River from HMSC. Here in 500 acres of water leased from the State of Oregon, the larvae are "set" and the baby oysters, or spat, are hung out to grow in lantern nets suspended from rafts, 30,000 oysters per raft, for about 14 months. Oysters are also grown in mesh bags placed on the bottom of the river. "We provide space to Chris for his oyster project," says Xin Liu, general manager of the farm. "We'll give him whatever he needs to finish his project. We are waiting for his results to see if we can borrow them. We prefer fast growing oysters. He is trying to select broodstock to develop the best oyster." Liu came to OSU from China in 1992 and worked on his Ph.D. at HMSC before going to work at Oregon Oyster Farms. That facility produces oysters and sells its products widely in the state. Harvesting oysters at the farm typically takes 14 months to 36 months, according to Liu. "Our hope is to improve our efficiency in terms of production," he says. "If the results are promising, maybe we will get to a 12-month growing cycle. A new idea always takes time." Once the oysters reach market size, families producing the highest meat yields are identified and used to produce subsequent generations. To that end, Bill Dewey, an oyster grower and MBP executive committee member, surveyed 16 oyster-growing companies to determine which traits are most valuable to the industry. The findings in this survey guided the research effort, indicating that meat yield is the most important trait for the shellfish industry. Other factors were fast growth, long shelf life, a deeply cupped shell shape, and resistance to summer mortality. Initially, broodstock was collected from wild oyster populations in Willapa Bay and Dabob Bay in Washington and Pipestem Inlet in British Columbia, Canada. Five founder cohorts-a cohort consists of a group of about 50 families-were produced from wild broodstock. "We then selected the fastest growing oysters from the founder cohorts and used them as broodstock to produce subsequent generations," Langdon says. Before the hatchery and the farms come into play, however, an important part of the basic research takes place on the OSU campus where Mike Blouin, assistant professor of zoology and a co-principal investigator on MBP, is responsible for checking the pedigrees of the oyster broodstock. Because accurate pedigrees are essential for this project, it is important that scientists know the identity of all individual broodstock chosen for each generation. The repetitive, labor-intensive manipulations required during larval culture increase the chance that some cultures will become contaminated with individual larvae from other families. Such contamination can lead to misleading results in determining the response to selection and increased risk of inbreeding. To avoid this problem, Blouin uses microsatellite DNA fingerprinting methods to verify the pedigree of each individual selected as broodstock in each generation. Based on preliminary results, the selection program seems to be working. Offspring from selected top-performing families are on average significantly heavier than offspring from wild, non-selected broodstock. Furthermore, the top five families from selected broodstock are about 25 percent heavier than offspring from industry's own supply. More information on MBP results can be found at the MBP website at http://hmsc.orst.edu/Projects/mbp/index.html. It provides information on the research progress, personnel and long-term plans for the program. In their work, the scientists take care to assure that neither diseases nor unwanted organisms are accidentally transferred with oysters transported between the Marine Science Center and industry sites. Oysters originating outside Yaquina Bay, for example, are disinfected upon arrival and handled under quarantined conditions until ready for spawning. Offspring are raised from the larval to the juvenile stage under conditions in which all incoming seawater from Yaquina Bay is sterilized by filtration or UV irradiation. Oregon has become a nucleus for oyster research on the West Coast even though the industry is bigger in Washington-an annual production of $68 million last year vs. $1 million worth of product in Oregon, with lesser amounts in California, Alaska and British Columbia. Washington also has the best growing areas in Willapa Bay, Grays Harbor and Puget Sound. Oregon's dominance in research stems from the long tradition of more than 30 years of cooperative research work with the oyster industry. The University of Washington has no marine research facility. Oregon also has a very active Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station (see Oregon's Agricultural Progress, Spring 1999), under whose auspices this work is being carried out. Langdon has high hopes for expansion of the shellfish industry on the West Coast, but such prospects are not without problems. "Total area of water available to produce oysters is reduced year by year by the pressure of coastal development," he says. "A high proportion of the population lives on the coast where folks want to build homes, shopping malls and marinas. "All this development generates waste from septic tanks, sewage systems and runoff from parking lots and roads," says Langdon. "The oyster has to continually fight for its existence, even though the industry has been farming coastal waters for about 100 years-long before water skiing and marinas became popular. The oyster industry's fight for clean water has benefited all coastal inhabitants but it has been a lonely fight at times." One of the best oyster growing areas in the state used to be Tillamook Bay, but it is not as productive for oyster culture now because of the runoff from local dairy farms, sedimentation and expansive beds of burrowing shrimp that soften the sediment and smother the oysters. Ghost and mud shrimp have no commercial value. "It is very difficult to control burrowing shrimp without the use of pesticides, something that is taboo in Oregon," says Langdon. "Washington, on the other hand, does allow some spraying to control these creatures there." There are other drawbacks. Harvesting time is considerable. Fourteen people must spend a week just removing barnacles from individual oysters by scraping them off. "It is an expensive, labor intensive work," Langdon says. Langdon hopes that progress in MBP will attract additional long-term support for shellfish research. "The great advances in land-based agriculture over the last century have been partly due to long-term federal research support," he says. "Unfortunately, most federal agencies, apart from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, do not fund aquaculture projects on a long-term basis, resulting in frustratingly slow progress. It would be hard to carry out selective breeding of oysters with only a couple of years of funding." Because all research programs have finite life spans, Langdon is preparing for the day when funding for MBP runs out. "We are beginning to work on the best way for industry to support MBP in the future," he says. "There are several strategies: 1) Form a cooperative for oyster broodstock improvement at the Hatfield Marine Science Center supported by industry, or 2) Have the industry take over the breeding program and set it up in a commercial hatchery. The latter approach has been successfully adopted by the Norwegian salmon industry." Looking to the future, Langdon sees potential for market growth overseas. "There are good business possibilities for the shellfish industry if we can develop genetically superior seed for foreign sales," he says. "The Pacific oyster is truly a global species. It is cultured now in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, many parts of Asia such as Korea and China, and in North and South America." But, he cautions, France, Australia and New Zealand are already setting up programs modeled on the MBP. "These programs are very well funded but we still have a significant lead," says Langdon. Note: Ron Lovell is a free-lance writer who lives in Gleneden Beach, Oregon. All About Oysters From Oregon State University Oyster is the common name for any of about 50 species of marine bivalve mollusks. Several oyster species are important food commodities, including the Pacific oyster farmed on the West Coast of the United States. Species known as pearl oysters belong to a separate family. Oysters attach themselves to rocks or lie on the sea bottom. Unable to move, they are often dislodged from either resting place by waves. Their shell is irregularly oval in shape. It consists of a left and right valve joined together at the narrow anterior end by an elastic ligament that acts as a hinge. Attached to both valves is a strong muscle called the adductor, which keeps the shell tightly closed. When the adductor relaxes, the elastic ligament pulls the valves apart. The left valve, upon which the oyster rests, is deeper and thicker than the right one. The inner surfaces of the valves are white, except for the dark pigmented areas where the shell is connected to the adductor. The mantle-two folds of fleshy membrane-covers the oyster's soft body and lines the inside of the shell. An opening at the anterior end of the body, between two pairs of thin lips, or palps, serves as the mouth of the oyster. Two pairs of sickle-shaped respiratory organs, the gills, are covered with hair-like structures called cilia. A short gullet connects the mouth to the stomach. The body contains the digestive, reproductive, circulatory, excretory and nervous systems. The cilia moves and this movement creates a current in the water, bringing the microorganisms oysters eat into the shell. The microorganisms are sorted out by the labial palps before they reach the mouth. Oysters are found throughout the world. They usually form large beds, which extend in warm waters from the tidal zone to a depth of up to 100 feet. Beds of American Bluepoint oysters grow along the East Coast. Chesapeake Bay is the largest oyster-producing body of water in the world, although many of its oyster beds have been depleted through overfishing and pollution. Large beds of edible oysters also exist in Japan and Australia, Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas), found all around the Pacific Rim, are the most commonly cultured edible oyster in the world, making up over 90 percent of all oysters produced. After carp, Pacific oysters also represent the biggest aquaculture crop in the world, by weight. This total includes the oyster's heavy shell as well as its meat. It is an old wives' tale that oysters should not be eaten in any months whose names lack the letter "R," but it just might be true. Sue Cudd of Whiskey Creek Shellfish Hatchery says that oysters harvested in the summer months contain a soft, milky substance that seeps out when the oyster is cut into. "Fall, winter and spring are the best seasons for oysters," she said. Live oysters should be eaten within a week of harvest, according to a guide published by Taylor Shellfish Farms. They are best kept alive by placing them in an open container in a refrigerator (34 degrees to 45 degrees) and covering them with a clean wet cloth towel to prevent them from drying out. They should not be kept in a bucket of seawater, plastic bags or other airtight containers. Humor I married Miss Right&emdash; I just didn't know her first name was Always. I haven't spoken to my wife for 18 months&emdash; I don't like to interrupt her. When Life Begins Some people think life begins at conception, while others think life begins at birth. But, some believe that life begins when the kid moves out and the dog he left behind dies. Church Humor "Pastor is on vacation. Massages can be given to church secretary." "Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM. Please use large double door at the side entrance." "Low Self-Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 to 8:30 PM. Please use the back door."

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