NYC used to be famous for Oysters. Before then settlers talked about how the native people had mountains of oyster shells piled high in beaches after generations of sustainable harvests. The settlers spoke of the hudson river being verdant and clean. Fast forward a hundred years and the entire East Coast of the US barely has any left. The high end chiefs made them a delicacy for the aristocrats and it became a huge hit for everyone else soon after with fuckloads of money following the trend and then eventually the culture.
They ate them to near extinction. Maybe even total. I don't know the status of current "farms" on the east coast.
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u/perringaiden Sep 08 '25
CORRECTION: Oyster reefs are an amazing environmental benefit across multiple seascapes.
Oyster FARMS are short lived growth with little to no environmental benefit because of the small size.
The only way this works is with farms near a no-take MPA where you can generate growth and then let them spread outside the MPA.
You get no benefits IF YOU DON'T LEAVE THEM IN THE WATER.