Spat!!

No, not the past tense of expectoration....

 

As environmentally alert readers know, our little friend Crassostrea Virginica has not been treated very well lately in our Chesapeake Bay.  Over the years, we have managed to screw up the conditions in the bay to where the oyster has been in decline over several decades, and it isn’t getting better fast.  The demand for the bivalve hasn’t decreased with its numbers, so replenishing the oyster has some economical incentive.  So, there are several schemes evolving to raise or “farm” oysters.  Catch word is “aquaculture”.   Some people are trying to put them back in their natural environment by constructing artificial reefs to duplicate what they would do if left alone.  Others just put juveniles into the bay and hope they build their own reefs, others put spat in little bags with floats and tether them in creeks, etc.

I had the opportunity to see yet another technique late last week, and make a visit to "the farm".  Their technique involves starting them in a hatchery (I suppose that’s not the word, but best I can come up with) where they will grow until they can be put in bags to fully mature.  The little farm is a nicely engineered affair, lots of piping, valves, pumps, and stuff.  It consists of a larger "vat" and contains little circular tubs (in this case 9) where the babies live 

Water for food for the little ones is supplied directly from the river, and is pumped into the larger vat via that big green hose ..

 

Which fills it to the rim with water which then over flows into the "return"

 

 

and then drains back into the river. Goes inta ...goes outa, zero sum!

 

 

The little oysters live in those nine tubs on a paper meshed screen which allows the water to circulate around and feed them.  And “feed” they do!   Here’s the result of one day’s worth of feeding (and pooping)

 

So the daily task of the intrepid oyster farmer is to drain the vat, and then wash away the bad stuff so pollutants don’t build up.

Before (left) and after (right) washing

 

And a closer look at the freshly bathed “kids”

 

After their bath, the vat is filled again, and eventually they will grow to the point where they can be transferred to bags

 

And spend the rest of their time in the river..  neat, huh?

In case you’re wondering, that facility currently holds about half a million(!) oysters.  The farmers estimate that they oysters will “mature” to eating size in around a year..  A very nice look at local, sustainable farming.  Which will result in locally raised oysters for us to enjoy.  What an enjoyable experiece.  We'll revist when the children are a little further along....

Contrast that local operation with the latest invasion of the chain culture here in the park,

 

displaying the sign that is second only in county popularity to “coming soon”.  Yes, it is jobs, but the servers are only a conduit to take money out of the community..and you can be sure that the bottom feeder will not darken their doors (or gift shop).. even if he would be

DFD

PS -  tomorrow the Bottom Feeder will be winging his way west to participate in a little gray beard review of a program on the west coast…