Green Goods Movement: Mollusks You Don’t Want to Eat

Potential Oyster-tecture Canalscape Environment (Image source: SCAPE)

Back in December, an architect from NY named Kate Orff gave a TEDWomen talk on “oyster-tecture.” She worked with a team that came up with some brilliant new words/concepts such as FLUPSY which is a ”floating raft with an oyster nursery below.”  The main purpose of Kate’s team was to transform a highly polluted coastal area in New York City, the Gowanus Canal, by revitalizing a long-lost natural oyster reef.  As oysters are natural ocean cleaners or “filter feeders,” the idea is to introduce oysters to a highly polluted environment, where oysters used to thrive, in order to rebuild and create more natural coast lines and public spaces.

On the flip side are mollusks that destroy the natural environment such as the Zebra and Quagga Mussels.

Source: USGS

Although this issue has affected the Great Lakes region the hardest, Zebra Mussels have recently spread to the west coast, now affecting water treatment facilities and local habitats throughout the country.  The reason controlling the spread of Zebra Mussels is so important is that it is beginning to affect our potable water supply.  As the mussels spread, they grow and clog storm water run-off outlet pipes and water treatment system pipes potentially cutting off the water supply and the ability capture runoff.

SOURCE: LA Times

Of critical importance in controlling the spread of Zebra Mussels is the limiting of ballast water discharge by vessels or introducing ballast water filtration systems.  Entire ecosystems can develop in the ballast tanks for ships over the years of port to port movement.  As a ship releases ballast water, which is needed to help the ship balance as it loads and unloads goods, the ecosystems of the ballast tank are released into the local ecosystem creating new issues.  Zebra mussels are considered “invasive species” particularly because of the negative impact they have on the natural environment.  They are known for killing off native species, stealing their food sources and starving them.  They can also create new algae which are eaten by birds and then cause the spread of e-coli, which causes beach shut downs and other nasty repercussions.

What can you do?  Well, if you have any water recreation vehicles, make sure you clean it every time you use it, so that you don’t take any “aquatic hitchhikers” with you.  Check out other Aquatic Invaderresources and the latest info on the spread of Zebra and Quagga Mussels at USGS.

If you just enjoy eating mollusks, but are afraid of where the products you’re purchasing are coming from, check out I Love Blue Sea.  They’re a great new company based in San Francisco that sells only sustainable seafood, and I can personally vouch for the high quality and yumminess of their oysters.