About Oxford Cooperative Lab

The Oxford Laboratory was established in 1960 by the U.S. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries for the primary purpose of investigating oyster diseases that struck Chesapeake and Delaware Bays in the late 1950s. It became the Cooperative Oxford Laboratory in 1987, through an agreement between Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the NOAA National Ocean Service to share the facility and to cooperate in research. The National Marine Fisheries Service, Chesapeake Bay Office is also a partner. Scientists at the Cooperative Oxford Laboratory investigate the relationship of changes in land activities to the Chesapeake Bay and the health of fish, shellfish and other aquatic life in the Chesapeake Bay and along the Atlantic Coast. They also collaborate with scientists nationally and internationally to improve understanding of aquatic animal health and develop management strategies to prevent and mitigate diseases.

The Cooperative Oxford Lab supports the only state program which evaluates shellfish health in support of bay-wide fisheries and aquaculture. Finfish health investigations are directed through the Lab and staff also participate in the National Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Stranding Network, investigating strandings of these rare and endangered animals in Maryland, and sharing information, samples and expertise with other institutions and coastal states. NOAA staff have developed techniques for classifying and mapping critical reef habitats in Chesapeake Bay have been developed recently at the Laboratory. These methods are now being applied in Maryland's oyster restoration efforts. Fishing and Boating Services Graphic Information System team is also headquartered at the Cooperative Oxford Laboratory.

Oxford Lab Facilities

The Cooperative Oxford Laboratory has 17,000 square feet of laboratory and office space, including wet labs with flowing estuarine water, and quarantine lab facilities.

Full histology capabilities are available for invertebrate and vertebrate tissues, including paraffin, plastic, and frozen processing. Routine hematoxylin and eosin, special tinctorial stains, and immunostains are supported. Two ASCP certified (1 HTL, 1 HT) biologists are on Department of Natural Resources staff.

Wet laboratory facilities use flow through water from the adjacent Tred Avon River. There is also a small quarantine laboratory for holding exotic species under study.

The library is part of the National Ocean Service's Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Health Research Laboratory. It is a highly specialized library established to help laboratory biologists in their research on diseases of shellfish and fish. Click to learn more about the Cooperative Oxford Laboratory Library.

The Fish and Wildlife Health Program Necropsy Laboratory is equipped for anatomical, pathological and forensic investigations of fish, marine mammals, sea turtles, and other wildlife. A wide variety of samples (e.g. histology, microbiology, genetics, parasites) can be collected, preserved, and stored.

  The Oxford Laboratory has several wet lab facilities on site allowing scientists to work with fresh water, estuarine, or marine organisms under controlled conditions. ​​

The information provided on this site is primarily focused on Maryland's Department of Natural Resources' efforts. Click here to learn more about the Federal efforts.

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Oxford Lab Location

Academic Programs

The Cooperative Oxford Laboratory is not primarily an academic institution. We do maintain partnerships with several universities, and offer opportunities for students and postgraduates at all levels to participate in our research programs.

These links take you to sites outside of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources web site.

• National Aquarium in Baltimore
• Horn Point Laboratory
• University of Maryland Eastern Shore
• University of Maryland College Park