WACHAPREAGUE, Va. — Bay scallops were once "locally extinct" in the Eastern Shore — however, restoration work from local research groups has resulted in the population "multiplying exponentially."

William & Mary's Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences along with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science's Eastern Shore Labratory (VIMS ESL) led the initiative to bring back the bay scallop population.

The research institutions cited their efforts to restore seagrass in the area as the reason for this bounce back. Back in the 1930s, an eelgrass wasting disease led ruined the bay scallops' natural habitat in Virginia waters.

“The restoration of bay scallops to their former range along the Virginian Eastern Shore represents a significant societal and ecological achievement,” said VIMS ES

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