New York used to be the oyster capital of the world #shorts

This is the rise and fall (and rise again) of New York oysters.

[Ksescel]

It’s ironic that I’m watching this, since I’m currently supposed to be doing a project on the billion oyster project but instead I’m watching this

[spycrab]

The beginning sentence made me think that whole oyster shells were used like cobblestone for Pearl St.

[Ajibolaa]

It was there for thousands of the years and the natives kept it like that till some people started eating a million a day. We don’t even eat a million oysters a day right now.

[nakenmil]

Humanity really just went "there are no consequences to anything we do, we'll live throughout the 1900s.

[casbot]

It'll be magnificent if they can get oysters to return, just in time for climate change to make water temperatures inhospitable to oysters.

[verward]

This is so heartbreaking to me. Will we ever restore some harmony with nature?

[dischorddynne]

I really got confused when she said “a million a day” as if each New Yorker had some life goal to eat a million oysters per day.

[Gsuttonlou]

There's a wonderful book on this topic called The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell by Mark Kurlansky. Goes through the history of NYC and it's relationship with oysters.

[delia_watercolors]

The Staten Island side remained healthy with oysters and muscles (not with fish, due to illegal medical dumping. The water got better in SI about a decade ago).

[smallstudiodesign]

NYC should be nicknamed *THE BIG PEARL* … 🆚 the big apple

[ripwednesdayadams]

It’s horrible how polluted our lakes and rivers are. The clean water act was passed 50 years ago and as of 2022, 50% of US lakes and rivers are too polluted for swimming, fishing and drinking. 94% of our freshwater is contaminated with micro plastics. We don’t even know how much of the ocean is contaminated because a lot of plastic waste ends up on the sea floor.

[dave.]

people act as if nature land is just something for humand to take advandage of. we are just guestrs in nature and we should respect and preserve the nature around us

[johnsone]

God bless the oyster in NY and the cod in MA. I hope they come back.

[scronx]

A fascinating wild subject. Do you know the book about it, The Big Oyster?

[MrJeffrey]

How good is oyster shell mortar? Sounds amazing.

[revolvency]

This is why I don't want to eat oysters and or almost anything with shells, they are living water filtration and cleaning system 😅.

[onlyfacts]

I don't think anyone would be willing to eat oysters from New York City even if it's not protected, given how polluted the water is.

[flautalee]

Most folks used outhouses. These were for the gentry.❤

[robertmoffett]

The shells didn't just "wash up", they were used as landfill

[qolspony]

It's strange that you could live in your whole life and not know this. I'm 53 as of yesterday.