How Changes in Oceans Are Putting Oysters at Risk
Few things say summer like sitting down to a plate full of fresh oysters while overlooking stunning water views. But thanks to changes in the ocean, generations to come may not be able to enjoy this simple pleasure.
The New York Times’ Mark Bittman went to California’s Tomales Bay to explore the impact of climate change on marine ecosystems.
What he found is not good, thanks to increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
“Thirty percent of what we put into the atmosphere ends up in the ocean. When you add carbon dioxide, it changes the acidity of the water. And animals have a harder time finding their building block to make a shell,” Tessa Hill, of U.C. Davis’ Bodega Marine Laboratory, told Bittman.
Hill has partnered with Terry Sawyer, co-owner of the Hog Island Oyster Farm, to study the longer-term impacts of rising acidity in the ocean.
“A lot of the stresses we’re talking about are also bringing about disease or bacterial effects … If these animals get stressed, these hatcheries will get very wiped out,” Sawyer said.
Additionally, Hill added, “What you end up with are animals that are weakened; they take longer to get to reproductive age.”
And fewer oysters being hatched would mean higher prices for oyster-lovers.
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