Members of a Virginia House of Delegates’ committee met with researchers on the Virginia Institute of Marine Science campus at Gloucester Point on Sept. 9 and 10 to discuss water quality and shellfish.

Del. Tony Wilt (R-Harrisonburg) invited the group from the House Agriculture, Chesapeake, and Natural Resources committee for the two-day retreat. Wilt chairs the Chesapeake subcommittee.

Other visiting delegates were Robert S. Bloxom Jr. (R-Mappsville), Danny Marshall (R-Danville), and Lee Ware (R-Powhatan). VIMS spokesperson Erin Kelly Fryer said the delegates all share an interest in restoring and maintaining Chesapeake Bay’s ecological and economic health.

VIMS Dean and Director John Wells presented an overview of VIMS and current issues affecting the Chesapeake Bay. Then, Michael Oesterling, executive director of the Shellfish Growers of Virginia, led a discussion focusing on clams and oysters on Virginia’s Eastern Shore.

The subcommittee members toured the VIM...