November 18, 2013 — Virginia's oyster harvest hit 406,000 bushels for the 2012-2013 season, outpacing the previous year by nearly 60 percent and marking the largest harvest since 1987, officials say.
Gov. Bob McDonnell on Monday credited the increase to a state investment of $3 million in oyster restoration efforts during his administration.
"This is very gratifying news — even better than I'd hoped," McDonnell said in a prepared statement. "Good management has allowed us to put Virginia's exceptional oysters on dinner plates around the world."
The previous year's oyster harvest in Virginia was 257,000 bushels — 124,000 bushels from public oyster grounds and 133,000 bushels from aquaculture operations.
Officials at the Virginia Marine Resources Commission had been predicting a boost in harvest this year, with projections of up to 320,000 bushels. The new official numbers far surpass that.
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