You might describe oysters as slippery, slimy, little blobs of salty deliciousness \u2013 and you\u2019d be right. Yet, just like a fine wine, each type of oyster has a different flavor profile: briny, sweet, buttery, plump, and the list goes on. What makes them so unique? Three factors: the oyster\u2019s species, growout method, and environment. [1]<\/p>\n There are six commonly cultivated species, which defines the initial flavor, and then the growout method alters the shape and depth of the shell cup. [1] However, since oysters are filter feeders, the most important element for flavor is the water in which the oyster is grown, known as the \u201cmerroir\u201d (like \u201cterroir\u201d in wine). Thus, specific locations give even the same species of oyster varied tastes. [2] The environment is so crucial that oysters will often be named for the area of the bay in which they were raised.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Now, meet Hog Island Oyster Co.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n A premier producer of sustainable shellfish, the Hog Island Oyster Co. raises 3.5 million oysters per year on 160 acres in Tomales Bay. Their main oysters are aptly named Hog Island Sweetwaters after their specific area of the bay. [3] After having slurped down over ninety oyster varieties, Hog Island Oyster Co. consistently delivers some of the best oysters in the world that even other farms on the same bay can\u2019t match. What does that mean? Hog Island found a magical location that makes all the difference in producing a superior oyster.<\/p>\n So, what does ocean real estate have to do with climate change? \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n With the fate of Hog Island linked to its location, imagine if the waters of Tomales Bay started to change. In the mid-2000s, the owners of Hog Island found themselves in exactly that predicament. Seemingly inexplicably, oyster larvae began dying in droves, wiping out more than half of Hog Island\u2019s oyster crop before they reached maturity. [4] After two years of tests looking for bacterial diseases, Hog Island was informed by researchers that lower water pH due to ocean acidification was the culprit, eroding the protective calcium carbonate shells of the young oysters and killing them before maturity. [5]<\/p>\n While the rhetoric of climate change focuses on atmospheric impacts, the fact that our oceans have absorbed 48% of all the carbon dioxide emitted since the industrial revolution is often overlooked. [6] As all that CO2<\/sub> mixes with sea water, carbonic acid forms, causing ocean acidification.<\/p>\n Now, at an alarming pace, acidified water long stored at deep ocean depths has begun to rise to the surface during seasonal tides, and Hog Island\u2019s oysters are paying the ultimate price of our oceans being used as a carbon sink for decades. [7]<\/p>\n Well, can Hog Island even fight back? <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Hog Island owners Terry and John have installed a minute-by-minute monitoring system to gauge water conditions, but without expensive machinery to correct for temperature or pH changes, the data only allows the team to forecast impacts on oyster yield. The team also now grows baby oysters in different locations, including a $1.5 million hatchery they built in Northern California, and transports the oysters back to Tomales Bay when they have enough shell to withstand the acidic conditions. Furthermore, they have had to limit the number of oysters that customers can buy to guarantee enough larvae to continue operations. [8]<\/p>\n Alright, what more can be done?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Frankly, mitigating away Hog Island\u2019s issues is nearly impossible. While other industries may be able to find opportunities to address the impacts of climate change, Hog Island has already achieved an incredible feat maintaining operations in their current location by improvising their hatchery process. As ocean acidification continues to worsen, they will need to invest in expensive machinery that can control water chemistry and temperature or simply move their operations to a more northern bay. In the short term, they can work to strengthen their brand and solidify distribution channels so that when they are eventually forced to move locations and the oysters become a different product altogether because of the new merroir, they can maintain their customer base. \u00a0Lastly, Hog Island can continue to speak out and get more people invested in curbing carbon emissions; with good eats on the line, perhaps we can inspire more advocacy.<\/p>\n (797 words)<\/p>\n [1] \u201cHow many oyster varieties are there in the world?\u201d Web blog post. The oyster is our \u201cword<\/em>.\u201d \u00a0Pangea Shellfish Company, 3 Apr 2016. <http:\/\/www.pangeashellfish.com\/blog\/how-many-oyster-varieties-are-there-in-the-world<\/a>>.<\/p>\n [2] Storm, Christian. \u201cA quick primer for the next time you order oysters.\u201d Business Insider<\/em>, 28 July 2014. <http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/oyster-primer-2014-7<\/a>><\/p>\n [3] Hog Island Oyster Co. Company webpage<\/em>. <https:\/\/hogislandoysters.com\/oysters\/farming<\/a>><\/p>\n [4] Johnson, Lizzie. \u201cOyster farmers worried as climate change lowers ocean pH.\u201d San Francisco Chronicle <\/em>online, 15 Aug 2015. <http:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/bayarea\/article\/Oyster-farmers-worried-as-climate-change-lowers-6445523.php<\/a>><\/p>\n [5] Barton, Alan; Hales, Burke, Waldbusser, George; Langdon, Chris; Feely, Richard. \u201cThe Pacific oyster,\u00a0Crassostrea gigas, shows negative correlation to naturally elevated carbon dioxide levels: Implications for near-term ocean acidification effects.\u201d Limnol. Oceanogr.<\/em>, vol 57, no. 3, 2012, pp 698 \u2013 710.<\/p>\n [7] Aguirre, Jessica. \u201cHow Climate Change Is Changing The Oyster Business.\u201d NPR the salt<\/em> online, 2 Aug 2010. <http:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thesalt\/2012\/08\/01\/157733954\/how-climate-change-is-changing-the-oyster-business<\/a>><\/p>\n![\"hog-island-oyster-leases-photo-courtesy-hog-island-oyster-co-e1410304559847-1024x566\"](\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2016\/11\/Hog-Island-Oyster-Leases.-Photo-Courtesy-Hog-Island-Oyster-Co-e1410304559847-1024x566.jpg\")
<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>