Aw shucks: Ocean acidification and the oyster industry
For many families, shucking and
gulping down your first raw oyster is a celebrated right of passage in
Maritimer life. The salty mollusks are also vital for the way of life in
many small coastal communities in New Brunswick, employing nearly 500
people across the province.
gulping down your first raw oyster is a celebrated right of passage in
Maritimer life. The salty mollusks are also vital for the way of life in
many small coastal communities in New Brunswick, employing nearly 500
people across the province.
But the times — and oceans — they are
a’changing. And a new research program in northern New Brunswick is
studying what these changes mean for the beloved eastern oyster.
Élise Mayrand, a biologist at the
Université de Moncton’s Shippagan campus, is part of a team that looks
at how the excessive production of carbon pollution (CO2)
by people is changing the chemistry of coastal waters on the east coast
and how these changes will affect the various life stages of eastern
oysters.