VOA标准英语2010年-Citizen Growers Become Oyster Caretake

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In 2008, on a private pier¹ on the Tred Avon River, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley kicked off an effort to get property owners along state rivers to become caretakers for oysters³. The Marylanders Grow Oysters program began with 250 families and has expanded to 2,000 growers on 18 rivers. Oysters were once plentiful⁴ here but no more. Generations of overfishing, a decline in water quality, disease and polluted urban and agricultural runoff have decimated its population. Recovery effortChris Judy, with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, oversees⁵ the program, which is part of a larger recovery effort for the Chesapeake Bay, the nation's largest estuary⁶. On this day, the shellfish biologist heads off the Tred Avon into Trippe Creek⁷ where Sally Ackridge tends 34 oyster² cages on three piers⁸. Oxford⁹, Maryland LibraryIn the 1880s, Chesapeake Bay watermen hauled in 15 million bushels of oysters to meet national demand. Before he loads her trove¹⁰ for the season he points out the tiny blister¹¹ like pumps on each shell. These are the spat¹² or baby oysters that over the next nine months will grow into clumps¹³. "The cluster of oysters on the bottom [is] habitat to different types of fish and crab¹⁴ and worms," Judy says. Oysters are the foundation for a healthy ecosystem¹⁵. They clean the water by eating algae¹⁶ and nutrients¹⁷ that pollute the Chesapeake Bay. Ackridge says caring for this brood is fairly simple. "We just come out every week or two and shake the baskets."That action removes sediment¹⁸ and aquatic¹⁹ vegetation and makes the hanging baskets easier to handle as the oysters grow. She adds the work is also a valuable lesson. "I think that we're going to show the next generation, our children and grandchildren that we need to be participants in nature." Judy also brings new stock to Marilyn Engle, a marine²⁰ scientist, who has been an oyster grower for three years. "I knew that oysters help water quality, and I've been happy about the program. I think that it's important that people become involved and as they do, it's an education. I love being here on the Eastern Shore, and I want to help take care of it!" VOA - R. SkirbleChris Judy with Sally Ackridge on her backyard pier where she cares for 38 cages of baby oysters. Rehabilitating²¹ oyster barsAfter the drop-offs, Judy motors to a marine sanctuary²². Maryland has rehabilitated²³ more than 500 hectares of once viable²⁴ oyster bars. This is where the home-grown oysters are planted, along with 2.5 billion oyster spat that come directly from the state oyster hatchery. While homeowners only grow a couple of million by comparison each year, a much higher percent of the nurtured²⁵ oysters survive. And, besides, Judy says his growers raise awareness²⁶ among the public about the watershed²⁷. "The program is really about education, outreach, motivation and enhancement. Sanctuaries²⁸ are specifically enhanced with these oysters. They are improved. The bottom is made better. There are more live oysters. The growers can be confident that they are making a difference in their local sanctuary." Erika Nortemann PhotographyThose tiny pimple²⁹ like bumps on the shell mature into oyster clumps and are planted in a marine sanctuary to live out their lives undisturbed. Considering the size of the Chesapeake Bay which sprawls³⁰ through six states and Washington, DC, Judy says, much more needs to be done. The Marylanders Grow Oysters program is part of a larger coordinated³¹ recovery strategy, including research, monitoring and public programs Judy says the end game is the same to jump start Mother Nature. "The sanctuary must serve as breeding site," he says. "That's the ultimate goal. What we hope to see is the oysters spawn³² and those larvae³³ then settle somewhere and create new oysters through the natural process of reproduction." Judy says Maryland oyster growers are making those steps toward natural recovery, one cage at a time.