![]() This hand-in-glove relationship between oyster farmers and wild oyster conservationists is taking place in hard-hit waterways like the Chesapeake Bay, home to one of the world’s leading restorations, and New York Harbor, with the Billion Oyster Project. The full-grown oysters are then harvested and delivered to sanctuary reefs in the Chesapeake, where they will start the filtering process and provide habitat for other bay species. Using baby oysters (called spat) provided by the University of Maryland and cages built by inmates at a Maryland prison, volunteers tend to the oysters for a year. 9, 2014 - The state of Maryland is running an innovative oyster gardening program to help improve the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay and bring back the bay's natural filters. They either expel these pollutants or absorb them in their shells or tissues (which is why you shouldn’t eat wild oysters from just any waterway). Oysters can filter 50 gallons of water a day from pollutants such as nitrogen, a result of agricultural runoff and climate change. What tourists learn along oyster trails is that each salt-water bivalve is a tiny ocean vacuum, and without enough wild oyster reefs, our waterways have become murkier. Larvae from certain farmed oysters, called diploids, escape from cages to seed the wild oyster population on their own. The ecological benefits of oyster agriculture are numerous, starting with a growing process that uses almost no greenhouse gas emissions, water, feed, fertilizer, or food. Around 2012, wild populations experienced a near total collapse in places like the Chesapeake Bay, Apalachicola Bay, and Washington State.īy creating a demand for caged, “farmed” oysters grown sustainably from seed for restaurant menus, and deepening our oyster knowledge, we’re helping restore the wild reefs. Why can’t we?)īut as a result of overfishing and disease from pollution and climate change, wild oyster reefs have become one of the world's most endangered habitats. ( Native Americans harvested oysters responsibly. and Europe, they were a popular and cheap source of protein for the working class. Beginning in the 19th century in the U.S. In ancient Greece and Rome, the wealthy considered oysters a delicacy. Native American practices promoted the health of oyster reefs for thousands of years before the arrival of European colonizers, according to a study by Science Advances. People have been snacking on oysters for over 165,000 years. Other trails can be found in Louisiana, Virginia, North Carolina, and Washington, the country’s largest producer of aquaculture. Along the Maine Oyster Trail, which re-launched in June, tasting tourists can earn swag by “checking in” at various experiences and sites along the trail, including Love Point. COVID-19 stalled the trend but with travel restrictions loosening, oyster enthusiasts are once again back on track. Oyster farm tours, like this one led by Love Point Oysters, and self-guided bi-valve trails are cropping up throughout the United States. “If you go upriver or eat bottom-planted oysters, you get a more minerally umami flavor.” “There’s a freshwater spring off Upper Goose Island that drains out right into the farm and cuts the salinity, so our oyster is much more bright and balanced, with a light cucumber finish,” says Cameron Barner, an oyster farm owner with an advanced degree in aquaculture, and my tour guide for the afternoon. The mollusk was harvested minutes earlier from the lineup of floating cages beside our boat in this secluded section of Maine’s Casco Bay. We drop anchor and I learn the trick to the perfect shuck-gently work the knife into the back hinge-and slurp the freshest oyster I’ve ever tasted. ![]()
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