Oyster Blog
June 10, 2008: WE think these pearls are special.
Yes! You can find pearls in Hama Hama oysters. The shuckers normally find several a day. Pacific oyster pearls aren't valuable, but they are really cool. (Jewelry pearls are produced by pearl oysters, which are in a different genus than edible oysters. Read this for more information about cultured and wild pearls.) These pearls (there were originally 600 of them) all came from ONE medium sized (and extremely irritable) oyster.
June 6, 2008: Last Run of the HH Battleax
Adam and Area Dog took one last ride on the HH Battleax, as they transported the now-retired barge from wet dock to dry dock. The Battleax: Might not have been pretty, but she sure could cook. Out with the old, and in with the HH Gladys. It's shinier, faster, bigger, and safer, but not nearly as burly, as the ol' Battleax.
June 5, 2008: Oceanaire Crew Visits on Lowest Tide of the Year
Wednesday, June 4th was the lowest tide of the year. The tide dropped to -4.3 around noon, and then rose to a 12.3 high tide in the evening. A group of people from the Seattle Oceanaire restaurant came out to celebrate the low tide and learn a little bit about Hama Hama oysters. Adam gave them a walking tour of the beach, going over everything from oyster seasonality and reproduction to the challenges of predicting the effect of atmospheric pressure on tidal changes. They gobbled it up, and they also ate an impressive quantity of shellfish. All in the name...
June 4, 2008: John Singer Sargent, from Bruce
Bruce from West Seattle shared with us this image of John Singer Sargent's masterpiece, the Oyster Gatherers of Cancale. Stop by Singer Sargent's website for a history of both the painting and Cancale's oyster industry. Thanks Bruce!
May 30, 2008: Sea Creatures Vote Humans off the Island
Acidified ocean water: terrible news for oysters, clams, and hermit crabs. Not to mention the entire ocean food chain and life on earth as we know it. From the Seattle Times: Seattle researchers were stunned to discover that vast swaths of acidified sea water are already showing up along the Pacific Coast as carbon dioxide from power plants, cars and factories mixes into the ocean. Acidified ocean water can be fatal to some fish eggs and larvae. It also interferes with the formation of shells and skeletons, harming corals, clams, oysters, mussels and the tiny plankton that are the basis...