SAVING THE OYSTERS
SOME of us remember the days of the hand-harvester, when wiry men clad
in hip waders could be seen raking oysters from abundant beds in our local
creeks.
Hand-harvesters were a rite of low tide, their movements punctuated by
the pungent odor of pluff mud and the popping sounds of the oysters as their beds
emerged from the water. The hand-harvester’s skin, tanned and wrinkled from years
of plying rugged skills, gleamed in the sun.
Now largely a relic of the past, hand-harvesters have been replaced by modern
shellfish harvesting methods and shut out by “Closed to Shellfish” signs in area tidal
creeks.
The signs suggest an urgency, amplified by recent storms, to clean up the waters
and reverse the damage. Bradley Creek has been closed to oyster shellfisheries since
the 1940s, Airlie Gardens Environmental Education reported at the conclusion of its
2012 Clean Water project. Hewletts Creek has been closed for decades. In fact, not
one New Hanover County tidal creek has escaped the pollution caused by a grow-ing
population and increased development. None of the county’s creeks are safe for
shellfisheries.
OYSTERS EVOKE STRONG FEELINGS
OVE them, or the thought of them makes you queasy. For those who love them,
the mere mention of the word conjures thoughts of a mouthwatering and
festive dish. Oyster roasts are a cherished tradition at the coast.
But oysters are much more than prized delicacies. They form a crucial
component of our local tidal ecosystem.
“It truly cannot be understated — the significance the eastern oyster plays in our
ecosystem,” says Alyssa Taylor, environmental education program coordinator for
Airlie Gardens. “Young oysters, known as spat, attach to hard surfaces along with
other oysters, forming beautiful reefs in our estuarine systems. By doing this, oysters
provide a safe habitat for fish and other invertebrates that call the salt marsh home.”
Oyster reefs protect waterfront developments and communities from the erosive
effects of storms. An Airlie Gardens Environmental Education study confirmed: one
healthy oyster-bed reef can support more than 300 organisms, including flounder,
shrimp, clams and blue crabs. Similar to mussels, clams, scallops, and some types of
fish, oysters act as kidneys for our waters, cleansing them of harmful contaminants as
they remove particulate pollutants, ingest nuisance algae and promote healthy vegeta-tive
growth.
Oyster beds surface in Bradley Creek at low tide.
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WBM february 2019
ALLISON POTTER
L