https://civileats.com/2025/10/14/wild-oysters-make-a-comeback-in-maine/
"The tidal waters of Maine tell stories that go back thousands of years. Along
the Damariscotta River, a short tidal river carved out by retreating glaciers
at the end of the last Ice Age, the story of the wild oyster is told through
heaps of bleached-white oyster shells discarded by prehistoric people. The
Whaleback Shell Midden, in the town of Damariscotta, is one of the most
remarkable: 1,000 feet wide and 30 feet tall, it is a tale of bygone abundance.
While wild oysters were an important part of an Indigenous diet in what is now
Maine, by the 1900s they had all but disappeared. Most people considered them
functionally extinct, in fact, until this spring, when researchers from the
University of Maine published a study confirming their return, often in close
proximity to the oyster farms that have populated the waterfront over the last
few decades.
“When we think about the emergence of wild oysters, it’s bringing back a part
of the ecosystem that has been a part of who we are as people in this place,
part of Indigenous people’s connections to this place,” says Heather Leslie, a
marine conservation scientist who took part in the study. “It foregrounds the
question of not just restoring the non-human parts of the ecosystem but also
enabling the Native people to reconnect with coastal ecosystems.”
Oysters sequester carbon and help filter sea water, making them one of nature’s
most beneficial bivalves. Their appearance may be a boon for the ecosystem of
the Damariscotta River and the local economy. But the rediscovery isn’t all
good news: It is also a sign of warming waters that can imperil other species."
Via
Reasons to be Cheerful:
<
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/what-were-reading-wild-oyster-comeback/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
