The True Cost Of Losing America's Wild Oysters | True Cost | Business Insider

Oyster reefs used to line America's coastlines. Today, they've nearly vanished, thanks to overharvesting, increasingly powerful storms, and oil spills. But conservationists are trying to bring back America's wild oysters, not just for eating, but for the benefits they bring to receding coastlines. We went to Louisiana to find out what it takes to farm oysters today and learn about the efforts to replenish these little bivalves.

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The True Cost Of Losing America's Wild Oysters | True Cost | Business Insider

[painedkillerk]

As someone who was around in the 90s in Louisiana I can say I remember seeing mountains of oyster shells being sold as filler for holes similar to gravel. I havent seen that in years now. I guess this explains why

[drumpftodd]

The 50's were seen as a great time but we needlessly destroyed our natural stocks of food. The oyster, sardine and almost every other industry can attest to the damage caused by the overproduction of natural resources.

[Fpl]

Oyter businessmen: “We use to bring in multiple 50-60ft boats DAILY and full them all with oysters”

Plummeting Oyster population follows

Oyster businessmen: 😦😦😦 This is crazy! Things aren’t how they used to be

[mattheweburns]

Not many people seem to realize the importance of coral and oyster reefs along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coast. Just because they aren’t pristine clear green or blue waters like in the tropics, the reefs are just as important if not more important. If there were sufficient reefs I’m sure the water would not be as murky as it is on the Atlantic coast

[cowgirlchrista]

If the state governments, DMFs, commercial fishermen and farmers were all willing to actually willing to work together, the problem would able to be solved a lot quicker and easier than they are now. That's the biggest step: getting past the politics and finding a healthy balance.
Sincerely, an Shellfish Aquaculture Technology major in Eastern NC who has taken part in the Billion Oyster Project.

[willcookmakeup]

2.5 million oysters and only 10, 000 survived?! My God how did Scott rebound from that? Thats crazy determination. I cannot imagine what a loss like that must cost

[AdrianaOrtiz-ffmx]

The worst injury I’ve ever had was when I accidentally stepped onto an oyster bed while barefoot as a kid. I fell forward a little but kept upright and essentially danced on these poor oysters while screaming and trying to get back to the sand. I just remember my dad canoeing us back to camp while the floor just filled up with a mix of seawater and my blood. In retrospect I almost feel worse for the lil guys than my baby feet, even though I couldn’t walk right for weeks. I was probably an apocalyptic event in that colony

[mattheweburns]

In many coastal towns you will see buildings where they added oyster shells to concrete, I believe this is called tabby. Even sidewalks sometimes. Mounds of oyster shells were also found around native sites

[Steve-emtb]

Cod in Canada got hit by the same near wipeout in the 1990s. Stocks are only beginning to come back.

[GearthGodNika]

Here in the philippines oysters are unlimited because we reproduce the consumed shells and its only four to five months to harvest.

[andybarr]

Most oysters that are consumed in the US are farmed and they are very different than the native oysters. Look up "Tasty Mutants: The Invention of the Modern Oyster", and you can read how the farmed ones have had polyploidy induced in them.

[emiliomunozlevine]

In nyc the wild oysters were completely decimated. The harbors water was completely destroyed due to this. The billion oyster project is working to restore the nyc harbor and I hope you take a look at them and see what you can do about it

[mattheweburns]

Flood mitigation, coastal building projects and all fishing and farming should be collaborating together not fighting against each other

[tvdinner]

We lived on the Hood Canal, in WA. We collected and ate oysters there. Then, one year we had a -10' low tide. We saw the open septic lines from the old houses on the water. NEVER again!

[j]

I've seen the changes to our local bay due to the decimation of our long island quahog clam stocks. Every fishery declined due to the clamming boom of the seventies and early eighties. winter flounder used to be plentiful. you could catch a bucket full in an hour. now you are lucky to catch one in a whole day.

[TridenT]

I have never seen a country who says they are at the peak of innovation and saving environment but losing everything on a daily basis, still produce videos of how bad they are at everything but will never do anything to make it right. Kudos to United States of America.

[DoyleHargraves]

Growing up in louisiana, our driveway was paved in oyster shells

[cofee]

As a carpenter living in Minnesota. I recall doing work on a building that was full of oyster shells. Apparently they would ship them up to Minnesota by barge loads as a supplement for chickens.

[yoursafeplace]

It's the fault of our great grandparents and grandparents. They just came in and raped the land for everything it was worth with absolutely zero mind towards conservation. Our parents generation didn't do so great with it either and it's fallen onto our generation and the next to be almost fully activated towards conservationism and figuring out how to fix all these fuckups. Unfortunately for some things it's too late or it's going to take a very very long time until we see the benefits of things happening today.

[cindysmith]

50, 60 foot boats everyday? I wonder why your in this position today....