NOAA Cooperative Oxford Laboratory - Oxford, Maryland
Background
Since its origin in 1960 with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the Oxford Laboratory has been engaged
in a long history of research focused on marine pathology and building a better understanding of how to sustain the health of living
coastal resources. In 1970, the laboratory was transferred from FWS
to NOAA
. In 1987, it became the Cooperative Oxford
Laboratory through an agreement with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to share the operation of the facility and to
foster opportunities for joint research on the health of marine organisms.
A recent alignment of Oxford with the Center for Coastal
Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research (CCEHBR
) of NOAA
’s National Ocean Service has allowed for expansion of
programs and staff with expertise for assessing and predicting biological
responses to human-induced stressors in coastal ecosystems.
This additional expertise in combination with the laboratory’s historical
roots in marine pathology has provided a strong scientific basis for helping to deal with a broad range of environmental problems of
importance to Chesapeake Bay and other coastal regions. The Oxford Laboratory is the only Federal aquatic research facility on the
Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States. Given this ideal location and research focus of its staff, the laboratory is
uniquely positioned to support NOS’s coastal stewardship role and to help NOAA
achieve its overall strategic goal of sustaining
healthy coasts throughout the U.S.
Research capabilities
The NOAA
Cooperative Oxford Laboratory provides
expertise in two major areas of research:
-
marine pathology
-
invasive species
Through this combined expertise, the laboratory offers the
following capabilities:
-
Assessing distribution, causes, and effects of diseases in shellfish and other marine
invertebrates (with special emphasis on key species of importance in Chesapeake Bay,
such as oysters and blue crabs).
-
Development of new diagnostic tools for the identification of diseases in coastal waters.
-
Assistance with disease verification, diagnostic training, and technology transfer.
-
Recommendations for mitigating impacts of diseases on coastal resources.
-
Technical guidance on management of non-indigenous/invasive coastal species (e.g.,
Asian oyster, green crab, Pacific sturgeon, grass carp, Rapa whelk).
-
Assessing and predicting changes in ecological conditions of coastal resources in
response to human and natural stressors (including chemical contamination,
eutrophication, habitat loss, extreme natural events).
-
Evaluating potential impacts and beneficial uses of dredged material disposal in
Chesapeake Bay and other coastal regions.
-
Source tracking of chemical and biological (bacterial) contamination.
