Among the most serious environmental consequences of last year’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was the damage done to Louisiana’s oyster beds, one of the world’s last thriving wild oyster fisheries. In many areas, 60 to 80 percent of the oysters were wiped out, not by oil, but by the massive infusion of freshwater diverted from the Mississippi River into wetlands in an effort to keep oil from the coast. As a result, oysters were killed en masse by the reduced salinity.
In this Yale Environment 360 video, journalist Jon Brand reports on an experimental oyster farm and hatchery on Grand Isle, Louisiana, that offers hope for a smoother recovery for the Gulf’s oysters and its oystermen. At the hatchery, where they raise oysters suspended in the Gulf’s waters, Louisiana State University marine biologist John Supan and his colleagues are optimistic that while oyster aquaculture will never replace traditional methods of harvesting oysters in Louisiana, it could supplement them and take pressure off the struggling wild oyster fishery.
video
Oyster Aquaculture Offers Hope for Louisiana Fishery and the Gulf
Last year’s oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico severely damaged Louisiana’s oyster beds, one of the world’s last thriving wild oyster fisheries. In a Yale Environment 360 video, journalist Jon Brand reports on an experimental oyster farm in Louisiana that offers hope for a smoother recovery for the Gulf’s oysters and its oystermen.
More From E360
-
Climate
Scientists Are Trying to Coax the Ocean to Absorb More CO2
-
INTERVIEW
Marina Silva on Brazil’s Fight to Turn the Tide on Deforestation
-
Solutions
Solomon Islands Tribes Sell Carbon Credits, Not Their Trees
-
INTERVIEW
With Sea Turtles in Peril, a Call for New Strategies to Save Them
-
RIVERS
Jared Kushner Has Big Plans for Delta of Europe’s Last Wild River
-
Energy
A Nuclear Power Revival Is Sparking a Surge in Uranium Mining
-
OPINION
Despite Official Vote, the Evidence of the Anthropocene Is Clear
-
INTERVIEW
At 11,500 Feet, a ‘Climate Fast’ to Save the Melting Himalaya
-
Oceans
Octopuses Are Highly Intelligent. Should They Be Farmed for Food?
-
Climate
Nations Are Undercounting Emissions, Putting UN Goals at Risk
-
Solutions
As Carbon Air Capture Ramps Up, Major Hurdles Remain
-
ANALYSIS
How China Became the World’s Leader on Renewable Energy