The eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) industry along much of the Atlantic coast has been devastated by two pathogens: MSX (Haplosporidium nelsoni) and Dermo (Perkinsus marinus). The development of disease resistant oysters has been a major goal of our genetics and pathology programs at HSRL.

   The selective breeding program at HSRL was established by Dr. Harold Haskin in 1962 and has continued to this day. As a result of the persistent selection over the past 30+ years, several MSX-resistant lines have been developed. Recently new synthetic lines were made from the original resistant lines in an effort to broaden genetic variability and introduce Dermo-resistance. New breeding strategies are being developed for continued genetic improvement of HSRL's disease-resistant lines. The selective breeding program is being supported in part by a grant from the New Jersey Agriculture Experimental Station and the Institute of Marine and Coastal Science, Rutgers University. Past funding from NOAA Sea Grant and USDA has also contributed to our breeding program.