Mon Dieux! Les oysters, c'est mal!
France, that home of all things classy and refined, has always been a leader when it comes to raising oysters.
Several scientists from the Chesapeake region have visited our friends in the countryside to see how they grow the bivalves. France is the fourth-largest oyster exporter in the world, followed by powerhouses China and Japan (also popular places for our scientists to visit, though perhaps a little less so; in France, the selection of raw oysters is almost always accompanied by the country's finest wines.)
But now it seems the oysters of France are dying. News accounts there report high mortalities of the species at 18 months, around the time they are reaching maturity.
As the French would say: "pourqois?" (Apologies to Mr. Casorio, my high-school French Teacher -- i'm not a great French speller.
And no one seems to know the answer yet, so the scientists will be studying the problem to see what they can find. It is possible there is a parasite, not unlike two two that have devastated our oysters.
This calls for another research trip, I believe. Maintenant!
I report on the environment and Chesapeake Bay. A native of West Virginia, I have focused mainly on Maryland's environment since moving here in 1983. Along the way, I've crewed aboard a skipjack in the bay, canoed under city streets up the Jones Fall from the Inner Harbor, and gone deep underground in a western Maryland coal mine. Recently, I have been covering the growth and development transforming the landscape. I love seafood, rambles in the country and good stories. I hope to share some here.
Comments
We're not quite as exotic as the French, but the Friends of Eastern Neck (FOEN)will be partnering with Washington College on an Oyster Restoration project later this summer. The Friends are funding the project through a grant to the college's Center for the Environment and Society.
Posted by: Warrior Bob | July 14, 2008 4:15 PM
Here's another blatant plug for local organizations working on oyster restoration: the Southern Maryland Oyster Cultivation Society (SMOCS.org) is a grass-roots, membership-based, non-profit organization dedicated to raising oysters and improving local water quality through projects, public outreach, and targeted advocacy.
Although less than one year old, SMOCS has gained the support and cooperation of many local businesses as well as key State agencies, and we are well underway towards our first large scale oyster restoration project in the Solomons Island area. Please help SMOCS achieve our vision of community-driven oyster restoration in your local creeks and coves.
Posted by: TheOysterGuy | July 14, 2008 9:07 PM