Down about 85% from their levels around 130 years ago, according to researchers from the US, China, Italy, Uruguay, and Australia, the decimation of native oysters — a contributor to healthy ecosystems and an indicator of ecosystem health — has largely been caused by overharvesting, disease, and introduction of exotic species.
"Screaming headlines this week threatened of a wild oyster 'apocalypse' and told foodies to eat up before these precious bivalves become extinct. ... But Julie Qiu, who writes an all-things-oyster blog called In A Half Shell, says, 'Stop panicking and get the facts.'"
"The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation are leading the drive to push Oregon to adopt the nation’s strictest rules against toxic pollution of the state’s waters."
"The first link between salmon farms on the British Columbia coast and elevated levels of sea lice on juvenile Fraser River sockeye salmon has been demonstrated by new research published today."
"New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday vetoed a proposed offshore liquefied natural gas project 16 miles off the coast of Asbury Park, saying the plan is too risky to the state's crucial tourism and fishing industries."
"The Chesapeake Bay's beleaguered oyster population spawned a bumper crop of babies last year, state officials announced Monday, and there are signs that the diseases that have ravaged the bay's bivalves for more than two decades might have loosened their stranglehold."
"Conservation groups served notice on Friday that they would file suit accusing the federal government of failing to protect leatherback sea turtles along the U.S. West Coast as required under the Endangered Species Act."
"The amount of fish caught in the Arctic has been dramatically under-reported for decades, making the northern ocean environment appear far more pristine than it really is, according to a new study."
"Roughly 85 percent of the world’s oyster reefs have disappeared since the late 19th century, with many formerly prolific reefs rendered 'functionally extinct' because of overharvesting and other manufactured causes, according to a new study published in BioScience."
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