The Eastern Shore of Virginia is the narrow southern end of the Delmarva peninsula, averaging 10 miles wide and 85 miles long from Pocomoke Sound and Chincoteague to Cape Charles at the northern side of the Chesapeake Bay Mouth. Its remote and rural setting has left unspoiled barrier islands, bays, creeks and marshes along the Atlantic coast now protected by the Nature Conservancy, the State f Vir
ginia, and the Federal government. The region has been designated by the UNESCO as part of their Biosphere Reserve System, has National Natural Landmark status with the US Department of the Interior, and is part of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. Short drainages and high salinities also make the bayside estuaries unique within the Chesapeake Bay system. Extensive marshes and seagrasses add to the natural and commercial seafood value of the regional marine resources. Extensive aquaculture occurs in the region and the hard clam industry of the area is the largest in the US. VIMS-ESL was largely responsible for the research and development that led the current clam industry, taking advantage of high quality full strength seawater available at the lab. A research hatchery at ESL provided support for the hard clam industry in the area, and currently is spawning and raising bay scallops for restoration of the wild population in the coastal bays. State of the art flowing seawater systems and molecular biology support is available for research and education.
