Monday, January 30, 2012

Oysters

I am just finishing up a wonderful weekend in Apalachicola, Florida. All of my life, I have heard of the tasty oysters harvested from this sleepy northwest Florida fishing village. This weekend I have had them every way imaginable and they were succulent and delicious. I especially liked them lightly broiled on the half-shell.

Clearly the economy of this quaint town is strongly tied to the oyster and the residents we spoke with and the museum displays speak of the oyster as a fact of life – something that is just part of the way things are here. The oyster supply must seem unending.

But I know the other side of the story, because I live on a tidal estuary on the Chesapeake Bay. The water is brown and murky, though I know just a few decades ago it was clear. The oyster population in our rivers is down tremendously and we, along with scores of other waterfront homeowners, are cultivating baby oysters in the hopes that they can survive and help filter the water in the river.

This year I have read newspaper articles about oystermen giving up their trade because the harvest is so small. The economic impact of this declining industry is taking its toll, along with the housing market, general unemployment and the rest. This is a far cry from the days when Baltimore packing houses were canning oysters to be sent all over the country.

At home we can still get tasty oysters, including the prized Chincoteague oysters from Virginia. It is still possible to go to a local restaurant and order oysters on the half-shell or fried. And they still taste great. How wonderful it would be to once again know that the oysters were plentiful in the Chesapeake Bay. And the best part is that the Bay would once again be clear!

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