Chesapeake Bay Journal

1. Juvenile oysters are called:
Oysterettes
Half-shells
Spat
Dermobait

2. Two parasites that threaten the Bay's oysters are:
MSX & Dermo
Shellrot & Spat
Scallopit & RQ7
Toxene & Pfiesteria

3. The vessel associated with oyster harvesting in the Chesapeake Bay is called a:
Square Sail
Skipjack
Shallop
Schooner

4. An oystercatcher is:
A type of rake used to catch oysters
The name given to watermen specializing in oysters
A wading bird
An oyster-eating whelk

5. The trochophore is:
The early larval stage of the oyster
An oyster parasite
The water level at which oysters are most productive
Gauge used to measure an oyster's health

6. Although a very large oyster may spawn up to 100 million eggs, the routine oyster spawns:
10-20 million eggs
20-35 million eggs
35-50 million eggs
50-75 million eggs

7. The oyster belongs to which phylum?
Mollusca
Oysteria
Clammeria
Pearlite

8. Oysters generally reach harvestable size (about 3 inches) at about what age:
1 year
3 years
5 years
7 years

9. An oyster can change its sex.
False
True, but only once in a lifetime
True, in fact, several times in successive seasons

10. A large oyster may spawn:
Once in a lifetime
Once every two years
Once a year
Several times a year

11. Oysters eat:
Microorganisms
Phytoplankton
Both Microorganisms & Phytoplankton
Zooplankton

12. Which predators eat oysters?
Humans
Oyster drills
Starfish
All of the above

13. The best substrate for an oyster reef to develop on is:
A sandy bottom
An SAV bed
Oyster shells
Gravel and rocks

14. In pre-colonial days, oysters were so abundant that it is thought they could filter the entire Bay in:
A few hours
A few days
A few weeks
A few months

15. About how long do scientists think it would take today's oyster population to filter the entire Bay?
About 6 months
About a year
About three years
About a decade