excerpt
his waterfront cottage when he decided to collect some fresh oysters for
his lunch. The tide was on full ebb, exposing the barnacled rocks. Pickings
were easy.
As he climbed over the slippery stone he found an abundance of oysters
attached to the tops of the larger rocks. Obviously it was a good environment
for shellfish, but he was puzzled by the fact that none were attached to the
sides of these same rocks. It wasn’t an anomaly—within the bay, only the
tip-tops of the thrusting rocks hosted clumps of healthy oysters.
Until a few years ago I’d never eaten oysters. I thought them disgusting
things. A fishing friend was determined that I’d change my mind once
I tried them. Ignoring my protests, he gathered a handful of gleaming
oysters fresh from the sea and pried a small one open with his knife.
The meat shimmered in its pool of nectar. I finally humoured him and
an hour later I could still taste all the rich, liquid flavours of the sea. I
was hooked from then on.
Now, while I ate my lunch—a bottle of beer, bread, cheese with a
handful of raw oysters: small, delicate and delicious, I pondered the
question of why the shellfish didn’t utilize the whole surface of the rock.
In the clear water I noted that where a purple sea star lodged itself
at the base of the boulder there seemed to be a precise line that marked
the boundary of the oyster colony. I checked several adjacent areas and
sure enough, in each case above the line there were masses of oysters.
Could there be a connection? Perhaps oysters survived only beyond
the reach of the seastars—but when I asked around, people who had
lived here forever seemed unaware that anything preyed on oysters.
I checked on it, and it seems that these spiny-skin predators can do
a real number on bivalves and wherever you see the big seastars, there
is likely also to be abundant clams or other shellfish to feed on.
I would not have expected that people living so close to nature
would be so blissfully unaware of the drastic changes that can occur in
their surroundings, virtually unobserved.
This lack of environmental awareness extends even to those who
avidly support the idea of preservation of the environment and this was to
become a persistent thorn in Ken’s side. It remains a mystery to him just…
Mayanaam
vequinox
Manolis 