4 ms·

According to the article, the problems are that "Conventional oysters are known to carry risks of foodborne illness and are currently threatened by overharvesti

According to the article, the problems are that "Conventional oysters are known to carry risks of foodborne illness and are currently threatened by overharvesting and pollution." They don't link to any source though.

peatmoss 4y ago
I buy the foodborne illness argument, but I'm not sure I agree with where they're going with overharvest and pollution. Pollution is certainly bad FOR oysters, but synthetic oysters neither mitigate pollution, nor does reduced oyster farming lead to more wild oysters in the environment, as far as I know. Oysters can (and I gather often are) grown on structures that facilitate harvest, rather than necessarily competing for space with the wild ones. Plus, seeding oyster growing areas pretty much ensures more propagation of oysters in where they are farmed. And since oysters filter the water, growing fewer oysters (farmed or otherwise) would just increase pollution. Since oysters are pretty easily cultivated, the solution to overharvest is to build more oyster growing structures and increase production... which leads to better water quality, which leads to healthier oyster populations. A virtuous cycle as I understand it. EDIT: I must also confess here that I don't particularly love eating oysters. The irony of my positivity towards oyster farming is not lost on me :-)
- photochemsyn 4y ago
  Yes, oysters and similar molluscs filter the water column and hence improve water clarity... but they're the filter. They may accumulate a wide variety of interesting materials and compounds, such as microplastics, heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, organochlorine and organophosphate pesticides and herbicides... and then people eat this equivalent of a swimming pool filter? No thanks. For example: (2008) "Contamination profiles of heavy metals, organochlorine pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and alkylphenols in sediment and oyster collected from marsh/estuarine Savannah GA, USA", Kumar et al. https://sci-hub.se/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2007.08.011 https://sci-hub.se/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2007.08.011
  - peatmoss 4y ago
    Many formerly-polluted environments are used to produce food after bioremediation. Farming oysters that are then not used for human consumption until the environment can support farmed oysters that are fit for human consumption is possible. Also, not all the toxins that oysters filter from the water stay in the oyster. Much of what they filter ends up sequestered in the sediment layer.
    - ch4s3 4y ago
      Not only that, but it provides a good economic incentive to improve water quality.
z9znz 4y ago
Very little search effort turns up plenty of evidence of risks: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/epidemiology/epidemiology-fact-sheets/risks-of-eating-raw-oysters-and-clams/ https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/epidemiology/epidemiology-fact-... "What are the symptoms of illnesses that can result from eating contaminated raw oysters or clams? The illnesses of most concern from eating raw or undercooked oysters or clams are Vibrio infection, norovirus infection, and hepatitis A. See fact sheets for those diseases for more details. Symptoms can include vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, stomach pains, severe weakness. Vibrio infections can also cause skin rashes and blisters, shaking chills, and high fever. Hepatitis A can cause yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes. Some of the illnesses can be quite serious and require quick medical attention."
- FollowingTheDao 4y ago
  Maybe if we stopped dumping sewage into the oceans we wouldn’t have to worry about these contaminated oysters. So instead of making fake oysters, why not clean up the environment? https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/sewage-shellfish-pollution-england-uk-b1963688.html?amp https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/sewage-shell...
  - z9znz 4y ago
    Well while we are at it, we should stop shooting each other and fighting over who's fictional god is the one true god.
xhkkffbf 4y ago
Well, aren't food borne illnesses an issue with plants and also mushrooms too. Heck, some mushrooms are grown in manure! One friend of mine who loves beef cackled with glee when he heard that salad greens were being recalled because of some microbe. You may like these new oysters for other reasons, but it seems like microbes are everywhere.
- Tao3300 4y ago
  Salad greens aren't cooked, so of course it's problematic.
- colordrops 4y ago
  Yes, let's be happy that our personal preferencea are validated by food poisoning incidents.
erehweb 4y ago
Illness from oysters has been known for a long time - it may be part of the reason why oysters are not kosher.

peatmoss 4y ago

I buy the foodborne illness argument, but I'm not sure I agree with where they're going with overharvest and pollution. Pollution is certainly bad FOR oysters, but synthetic oysters neither mitigate pollution, nor does reduced oyster farming lead to more wild oysters in the environment, as far as I know. Oysters can (and I gather often are) grown on structures that facilitate harvest, rather than necessarily competing for space with the wild ones. Plus, seeding oyster growing areas pretty much ensures more propagation of oysters in where they are farmed. And since oysters filter the water, growing fewer oysters (farmed or otherwise) would just increase pollution. Since oysters are pretty easily cultivated, the solution to overharvest is to build more oyster growing structures and increase production... which leads to better water quality, which leads to healthier oyster populations. A virtuous cycle as I understand it. EDIT: I must also confess here that I don't particularly love eating oysters. The irony of my positivity towards oyster farming is not lost on me :-)

photochemsyn 4y ago
Yes, oysters and similar molluscs filter the water column and hence improve water clarity... but they're the filter. They may accumulate a wide variety of interesting materials and compounds, such as microplastics, heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, organochlorine and organophosphate pesticides and herbicides... and then people eat this equivalent of a swimming pool filter? No thanks. For example: (2008) "Contamination profiles of heavy metals, organochlorine pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and alkylphenols in sediment and oyster collected from marsh/estuarine Savannah GA, USA", Kumar et al. https://sci-hub.se/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2007.08.011 https://sci-hub.se/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2007.08.011
- peatmoss 4y ago
  Many formerly-polluted environments are used to produce food after bioremediation. Farming oysters that are then not used for human consumption until the environment can support farmed oysters that are fit for human consumption is possible. Also, not all the toxins that oysters filter from the water stay in the oyster. Much of what they filter ends up sequestered in the sediment layer.
  - ch4s3 4y ago
    Not only that, but it provides a good economic incentive to improve water quality.

z9znz 4y ago

Very little search effort turns up plenty of evidence of risks: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/epidemiology/epidemiology-fact-sheets/risks-of-eating-raw-oysters-and-clams/ https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/epidemiology/epidemiology-fact-... "What are the symptoms of illnesses that can result from eating contaminated raw oysters or clams? The illnesses of most concern from eating raw or undercooked oysters or clams are Vibrio infection, norovirus infection, and hepatitis A. See fact sheets for those diseases for more details. Symptoms can include vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, stomach pains, severe weakness. Vibrio infections can also cause skin rashes and blisters, shaking chills, and high fever. Hepatitis A can cause yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes. Some of the illnesses can be quite serious and require quick medical attention."

FollowingTheDao 4y ago
Maybe if we stopped dumping sewage into the oceans we wouldn’t have to worry about these contaminated oysters. So instead of making fake oysters, why not clean up the environment? https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/sewage-shellfish-pollution-england-uk-b1963688.html?amp https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/sewage-shell...
- z9znz 4y ago
  Well while we are at it, we should stop shooting each other and fighting over who's fictional god is the one true god.

xhkkffbf 4y ago

Well, aren't food borne illnesses an issue with plants and also mushrooms too. Heck, some mushrooms are grown in manure! One friend of mine who loves beef cackled with glee when he heard that salad greens were being recalled because of some microbe. You may like these new oysters for other reasons, but it seems like microbes are everywhere.

Tao3300 4y ago
Salad greens aren't cooked, so of course it's problematic.
colordrops 4y ago
Yes, let's be happy that our personal preferencea are validated by food poisoning incidents.

erehweb 4y ago

Illness from oysters has been known for a long time - it may be part of the reason why oysters are not kosher.