Oysters: The Ocean-Friendly Seafood Choice

Oysters are filter-feeders that require no feed input into the beds to farm, they are a very sustainable and environmentally low-impact to produce. In fact, since the oysters are filtering out algae, plankton and other tiny particles of organic matter, oyster farms actually improve the surrounding water quality. These little guys are resilient and self-sustaining, so there is no need for oyster farmers to add any chemicals or antibiotics to the water. Also, since these guys are the bottom of the ocean food chain, you don't have to worry about any mercury build-up that you see in ocean predators like tuna and swordfish.

Check out this page from the New England Aquarium on the sustainability of growing oysters, and a few other ocean-friendly sea-foods.

You can also find a lot more details at In a Half Shell, a great Oyster blog, with lots of educational information about raising oysters, harvesting wild oysters, and, my favorite part, eating oysters.

A few bits of oyster trivia:

1. 94% of all of the oysters consumed are farmed. As I pointed out already, oyster farming is good for the local sea water quality, and has relatively little impact on the environment. Also, with 80% of the worlds wild oyster beds already gone, many states are focusing conservation efforts on restoring wild populations.
2. Eating oysters, as long as they come from a reputable source, helps grow the oyster populations. Good oyster farms know the importance of wild oyster populations, and are often involved with conservation efforts. Buying and eating oysters helps to fund that effort and keeps these environmentally friendly farms open.
3. Never submerge your oysters in tap water. This kills the oyster.

Go Eat Some Oysters!

All of this is also true for other bivalves, clams, mussels, and scallops, but nothing reminds us of the early spring like a good ol' oyster roast. I hope everyone will be able to make it to the 33rd annual Lowcountry Oyster Festival! Check out the Charleston Restaurant Association's website for all the details. Kid's under 10 get in free with a paying adult!