Threats to SurvivalĬommercial harvesting of oysters is regulated throughout most of their range, and they are not currently listed as threatened or endangered. They reproduce when the water warms by broadcast spawning, and will change gender once or more during their lifetime. Oysters feed by extracting algae and other food particles from the water they are almost constantly drawing over their gills. They have extremely strong adductor muscles to close their shells when threatened. They are generally whitish-gray in outer shell color, and their inside shell is usually a porcelain white. Oyster shells are usually oval or pear-shaped, but will vary widely in form depending on what they attach to. Among the most popular and heavily harvested species are the eastern American oyster ( Crassostrea virginica), found in Atlantic waters from Canada to Argentina, and the Pacific oyster ( Crassostrea gigas), found from Japan to Washington state and as far south as Australia. True oysters, which belong to the Ostreidae family, are found throughout the world’s oceans, usually in shallow waters and in colonies called beds or reefs. Habitat and RangeĪlthough it is possible for food oysters to produce pearls, they should not be confused with actual pearl oysters, which are from a different family of bivalves. Admittedly, they’re not for everyone, but adventurous humans the world over have enjoyed oysters, raw and cooked, for thousands of years. Oysters are also high in calcium, iron, and protein. Once beyond any primal gag reflex though, this seminal slurper would have been surprisingly rewarded with the oyster’s delicate, toothy texture, rich flavor, and salty liquor. If undaunted by the oyster’s rough, rock-hard, nearly-impossible-to-open shell, the undoubtedly famished first taster would then have confronted the gray, slimy, almost phlegmatic appearance of its plump body. There are many food items in the world that evoke the question, “How hungry did the first person to eat that have to be?” But few such dishes can rival the raw oyster for unpalatable appearance and general “ick” factor.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |