Oyster Bigotry

The National Academy of Sciences has recommended further study before fertile Asian Oysters are introduced to the Chesapeake Bay. They’re concerned that an introduction of a foreign species may have ecological ramifications. The main concern seems to be that indigenous oysters will not be able to compete with the healthier better performing Asian oysters.

This reminds me of that big brouhaha a few years ago over university racial quotas, and I think it is just plain wrong. If the Asian oysters are healthier, plumper, juicier, and get better SAT scores, than they deserve a chance to show their stuff.

In the past, plentiful healthy oyster beds were capable of filtering the entire bay of pollutants in less than a week. Chesapeake oysters were ravaged some time ago by a parasite named Dermo, and have as of yet been unable to recover (not to mention those over fishing Virginians ... damn them!). In the past 100 years, annual harvesting plummeted from 15 million bushels annually to less than 100 thousand. Consequently, the Chesapeake’s entire ecological system is completely off kilter.

If the indigenous oysters are incapable of cleaning the bay on their own, I say move the Asian oysters in. Hell, I’d willing to volunteer some of my time to do a little feng shui seashore landscaping to make them feel more at home. [via The Washington Post]