Currently, the only stable self sustaining native oyster populations, absent intensive manipulations, in Virginia are in the James River. The native oyster populations in the James River occupy natural hard substrate bottom habitats with multiple reefs (> 20) occuring over a gradient of salinity conditions so as to consitute natural replicates throughout the range of available salinities. The extant James River oyster populations have been intensively monitored by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science Molluscan Ecology program in collaboration with the Virginia Marine Resources Commission Division of Shellfish Conservation and Replenishment through fishery independent surveys. From 1993 through the present, both spatial and temporal variability within replicate oyster populations have been examined against a background of shifting environmental (temperature, salinity, water flow) and disease conditions. These fishery independent data sets provide the opportunity to describe the James River oyster populations as "stable" or self sustaining using metrics of either oyster density (abundance per square meter) or demographics as indicated by biomass (g tissue dry weight). Either of these metrics is suitable as a starting point to estimate population reproductive output (as either gametes or embryos), fecundity (embryo or egg density) and ultimately, veligers on a reef by reef basis along the natural salinity gradient. These reef specific data sets for natural populations provide tools to identify and understand location specific variation within a single habitat related to environmental conditions. These natural spatial variations within James River oyster populations span orders of magnitude and provide comparative barometers to estimate realisitic restoration goals across a broad spatial scales.

The ultimate goal of a native oyster restoration effort within an estuary is to create a native oyster population with sufficient spatial coverage and ecological influence within the estuary so as to be self-sustaining. Unless all parts of the restoration effort (shell plants, reefs, planted broodstock) function properly and contribute, the restoration effort will not be successful. Mimicry of existing naturally self sustaining native oyster populations in the James River at similar temperature, salinity, and disease conditions is an appropriate restoration target. For comparative purposes, sites within the James River populations with temperature, salinity, and disease conditions similar to the restoration site of interest should be used as the barometer for restoration success. Within a data type (oyster density, biomass, fecundity), data from the restoration site of interest will be compared to the five year mean of the same data type from James River reefs at the same environmental conditions. These comparisions are ecologically and biologically relevant and will provide conservative barometers to realistically evaluate the progress of a restoration project towards the ultimate goal of a self sustaining oyster population.