Community Interaction

Interaction with Community

We primarily focused our efforts on three organizations in the Chesapeake Bay community: Marinetics Choptank Oyster Farm, Department of Natural Resources, and Chesapeake  Bay Foundation.  Each provided insight into a different dimension of the Dermo infection problem. At Marinetics, we received an economy-centric view, where we learned a great deal about how P. marinus actually affects commercial oyster growth. We were surprised to find that, at least in that region of the bay, the owner of the farm experienced little to no effect from the pathogen. However, he did concede that detection systems for Dermo are not adequate and expressed that a real-time biosensor would be quite useful.

Next, we explored P. marinus through an environmental perspective as we spoke to members of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Here, we heard what was more expected of the problem including its adverse effects on oyster populations in the Chesapeake Bay. This interaction revealed the larger impacts our research would have on bay health as well as informed us about current approaches to remedy the problem. Still, we were unsure what to make of the two seemingly opposite views presented by the oyster farm and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Lastly, to clarify techniques and detection methods, we arranged a meeting with staff and lab members from the Department of Natural Resources. Mr. Chris Dungan, who is in charge of P. marinus investigation among other pathogens, gave us a comprehensive overview of how Dermo infections are detected and handled. We also discussed different aspects of policy-making and the obstacles to introducing new technology to combat these problems. For example, Mr. Dungan reconciled the apparently opposing accounts we received from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the oyster farm by telling us that Dermo infection is more prevalent in certain areas of the bay and will adversely affect populations in the bay but maybe not in aquaculture because oysters would be harvested and cooked before they exhibited the pathophysiology of the disease. Moreover, he acknowledged that oyster farmers tend to pay less attention to P. marinus in general because it is not a human pathogen.

Ultimately, the fact that people tend to be apprehensive about new technologies and research that could be used to solve environmental problems motivated us to help address this issue. Since we understood just how powerful public opinion can be in promoting or labeling potential solutions prematurely as dangerous, we developed two main initiatives to promote education in these technologies and to gauge the public opinion quantitatively in our local community to understand why there is such reluctance towards new technology and the reasons behind this.