China Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Oysters Vanishing From Oceans Worldwide, Biologists Say Oysters are "functionally extinct" in my locations around the globe due to disease and overharvesting, a new study has found. The wide-ranging survey, published in BioScience, the journal of the American Institute of Biological Sciences, compares the past and present condition of oyster reefs around the globe. The international team of researchers led by Michael Beck of the Nature Conservancy and the University of California found that more than 90 percent of former reefs have been lost in most of the "bays" and ecoregions where the prized mollusks were formerly abundant. In many places, such as the Wadden Sea in Europe and Narragansett Bay, oysters are rated "functionally extinct," with fewer than 1 percent of former reefs persisting. The declines are in most cases a result of over-harvesting of wild populations and disease, often exacerbated by the introduction of non-native species. "Overall, we estimate that 85% of oyster reefs have been lost globally," the study says. "Most of the world’s remaining wild capture of native oysters comes from just five ecoregions in North America, yet the condition of reefs in these ecoregions is poor at best, except in the Gulf of Mexico." Beck's team examined oyster reefs across 144 bays and 44 ecoregions. It also studied historical records as well as national catch statistics. The BioScience authors rate the condition of oysters as "poor" overall. Click on the link for the full article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgold Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 It is a shame and things like this are going to get worse. Overharvesting, acidification, other froms of polution man is really having a go at killing the food chain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reic Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 And to think when Colonists first arrived here in VA, oysters were the size of dinner plates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty dread Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 damn shame if we were to lose one of the tastiest things on earth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingGibbs Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Another victim of global warming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riggo-toni Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 For all the attention climate change gets, I think we're doing far greater and more irreversible damage to the oceans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Botched Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 At least we're getting pretty good at farming them. Amazing how such a hideous thing can taste so good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingGibbs Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 For all the attention climate change gets, I think we're doing far greater and more irreversible damage to the oceans. Yep. We have creeks in Maryland that have been shutdown and declared "dead." On hot summer days you can smell the stink for miles from those creeks. Marley and Furnace creeks are brown most of the time. It is gross beyond words. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty dread Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 At least we're getting pretty good at farming them. Amazing how such a hideous thing can taste so good. yeah seriously... Ever had char-grilled oysters? They're big in New Orleans, absolutely to die for Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Brave Little Toaster Oven Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 For all the attention climate change gets, I think we're doing far greater and more irreversible damage to the oceans. I agree...I wish we would invest more money into fixing over harvesting and cleaning our oceans than worrying about climate change Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Tris Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Anyone else find it ironic that the best oyster reefs in the world are still found in the Gulf? I know that I am thankful to be able to enjoying a bushel of Apalachicolas this Sunday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinInsite Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 More sea creatures are going to disappear if countries like Japan doesn't curb back their fishing industry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youngestson Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 And to think when Colonists first arrived here in VA, oysters were the size of dinner plates. And one could look down in to the waters of the Chesapeake Bay and see the bottom clearly. The present oyster population of "Great Shellfish Bay" is less than 1% of its historic levels. It's just so depressing when one stops and thinks about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elkabong82 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 And to think when Colonists first arrived here in VA, oysters were the size of dinner plates. I woud go nuts if I came across an oyster that big. Oysters are soooo good. This is disheartening news. ---------- Post added February-4th-2011 at 03:32 PM ---------- I agree...I wish we would invest more money into fixing over harvesting and cleaning our oceans than worrying about climate change I think they go hand in hand, in terms of the human population having an adverse effect on nature in general. I wish we would invest more in considering possible environmental effects before we even implement things, essentially stop it before it can happen. If being environmentally conscious wasn't villianize by some in this country as "tree hugger hippy crap" then we could move forward faster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD_washingtonredskins Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I woud go nuts if I came across an oyster that big. Oysters are soooo good. This is disheartening news. Me too...man that would be sweet. Is that even true (dinner plates)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubbs Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 And to think when Colonists first arrived here in VA, oysters were the size of dinner plates. Wait, oysters used to be the size of dinner plates? Another victim of global warming. Huh? Yep. We have creeks in Maryland that have been shutdown and declared "dead." On hot summer days you can smell the stink for miles from those creeks. Marley and Furnace creeks are brown most of the time. It is gross beyond words. They smell every year? Doesn't that mean they're not dead? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destino Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Lies from a bunch of tree huggers. If oysters were a problem the free market would fix it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elkabong82 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Me too...man that would be sweet. Is that even true (dinner plates)? I know such was mentioned by colonists, though I can't remember where I read it, but Reic has heard it too. Whether or not it's an exaggeration is obviously difficult to say. Even if it were an exaggeration though, the oyster would still have to be pretty big otherwise there's no place for such an exaggeration. Nowadays unless you were being sarcastic you wouldn't exaggerate an oyster to be the size of a dinner plate. Can you imagine a diiner plate-sized oyster baked with breading, jalapenos, and pepperjack cheese? Mmmm... that's my favorite kind of baked oyster. I'll eat the suckers raw too though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koolblue13 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 More sea creatures are going to disappear if countries like Japan doesn't curb back their fishing industry. This is something that is on every single one of us, not just the Japanese. Do you eat seafood? Point the finger at yourself. ---------- Post added February-4th-2011 at 04:31 PM ---------- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4_zLMNVqP4 This is a great Doc about our overfishing habits. A lot of good truth in here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 This is something that is on every single one of us, not just the Japanese. Do you eat seafood? Point the finger at yourself. Not me...I am concerned about the environment and eat carbon and methane emitters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TradeTheBeal! Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Enjoy em while they last. I will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reic Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Me too...man that would be sweet. Is that even true (dinner plates)? Wait, oysters used to be the size of dinner plates? I know such was mentioned by colonists, though I can't remember where I read it, but Reic has heard it too. Whether or not it's an exaggeration is obviously difficult to say. Even if it were an exaggeration though, the oyster would still have to be pretty big otherwise there's no place for such an exaggeration. Nowadays unless you were being sarcastic you wouldn't exaggerate an oyster to be the size of a dinner plate.Can you imagine a diiner plate-sized oyster baked with breading, jalapenos, and pepperjack cheese? Mmmm... that's my favorite kind of baked oyster. I'll eat the suckers raw too though. I heard it from a historic interpreter at Jamestown. Indians used to use the oyster shells to carve out the canoes. I found this out because the lady was carving a canoe with an average day oyster shell and I laughed and told her it must have taken a long time to carve out a boat with shells that size. That is when she schooled me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noshirtforyou Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 For all the attention climate change gets, I think we're doing far greater and more irreversible damage to the oceans. Yup, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Yup, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch Not to diminish a real problem,but.....(I do believe we need to be much better stewards of our oceans) The incredible shrinking Pacific Garbage Patch Environmental scientists have been criticized for exaggerating the size of an "island" of plastic waste said to be swirling around in the Pacific Ocean after a study found it was 200 times smaller than claimed. Claims that the Great Garbage Patch between California and Japan was twice the size of Texas were "grossly exaggerated", said the research, which estimated it was one per cent of that size. Further reports that the oceans were filled with more plastic than plankton, and that the garbage patch had been growing tenfold each decade since the 1950s, were equally misleading, the research said. In reality, it often could not even be seen from the deck of a passing boat, said the analysis by Angelicque White, professor of oceanography at Oregon State University. Prof White took part in a marine expedition to examine the mass of floating plastic. She said genuine scientific concerns at the problem were undermined by scare tactics from those proclaiming the garbage island was much bigger than was really the case. Prof White said: "There is no doubt that the amount of plastic in the world's oceans is troubling, but this kind of exaggeration undermines the credibility of scientists. Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/technology/incredible+shrinking+Pacific+Garbage+Patch/4070732/story.html#ixzz1D3awlNGR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koolblue13 Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Not to diminish a real problem,but.....(I do believe we need to be much better stewards of our oceans)The incredible shrinking Pacific Garbage Patch Environmental scientists have been criticized for exaggerating the size of an "island" of plastic waste said to be swirling around in the Pacific Ocean after a study found it was 200 times smaller than claimed. Bottom line? There shouldn't be one. It's estimated that 10 million living sea creatures a year are killed because of Americas plastic waste and that is unacceptable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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