Shifting Tides -- Oyster News Roundup

Whenever Valentine’s Day comes around, oysters are mentioned in the media as an aphrodisiac. Is it true? I always point to this older article from Smithsonian Magazine when someone asks me about it. There’s no scientific evidence that oysters can help you get in the mood, but it’s hard to research something with such a large placebo effect. So whether it’s Valetine’s Day or any day, if oysters help make the night extra special, who cares what the science says. 

Massachusetts

Alexis Cervasio, one of our friends at East Boston Oyster, got a lovely profile in Boston Magazine. Find out more about some of her favorite things and how an events-only business has transitioned to survive the pandemic. 

This year, thanks to grants from the Massachusetts Aquaculture Association, many visitors to area food banks in New Bedford and Fall River took home freshly shucked pints of oysters. In the short term, this program is designed to help struggling oyster farms. Long term, it could help get people used to consuming oysters in different ways. It’s a good reminder that for hundreds of years, oysters were considered one of the cheapest and most plentiful food sources on the East Coast.

National and International 

The Supreme Court is heading a new case this week that centers on oysters and aquaculture. The state of Florida has sued the state of Georgia over the use of water from a shared river basin. The question is if Georgia’s water use upstream has deprived Florida of the fresh water needed to keep the coastal ecosystem healthy and, more specifically, support Florida’s oyster industry. 

A team at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science will be more formally studying how oysters can prevent ocean acidification. Ocean acidification is one of the effects of climate change, so more information can give us a better understanding of oysters’ role in our climate future. 

A letter in Science calls for China to do a better job regulating and protecting their oyster resources. China’s oyster farming is loosely regulated, but accounts for 80% of global production. Can China avoid the issues that have plagued the United States?

Louisiana has become the latest state to start taking oyster-culture seriously. A 2019 study revealed the lowest population size in public oyster areas ever recorded. The plan to restore their population includes new protected areas, investments in oyster restoration, and additional water quality monitoring. 

It’s unclear if it’s part of this restoration plan, but Louisiana also approved their first oyster leases in almost 20 years. This article dives deep into internal Louisiana shellfish policy, but it’s a good sign that the state is taking shellfish more seriously. 

Chesapeake Bay Foundation planted over 14 million oysters in 2020. This is part of an overall goal of planting at least 10 billion by 2025. Maryland continues to be a national leader in oyster restoration, and this article gives a great picture of how the oyster restoration ecosystem brings together institutions from around the state to create positive outcomes. 

A commercial fishing blog, The Fish Site, has a great interview with one of the heads of a new venture: Solar Oysters LLC. This startup looks to combine automation and solar power to create self-sustaining floating oyster farms. While the vision is unproven, it seems promising. 

Joshua Gee