Collecting Oysters!!!!!!

[NoviceRod]

I have a Nimbus 335 Coupé which has a submerged exhaust outlet.


During liftout last week, I checked inside and was surprised to find some unusual growth. On further investigation, this turned out to be a mini oyster bed! They were difficult to prise out, and the shells were quite vicious to my fingers.


I checked for pearls, but none there other than the wisdom I am offering you folks: with the increasing prevalence of oyster farms, if you have a submerged exhaust, you need to check for passengers!

 

[longjohnsilver]

There's loads in the Yealm and Fowey, and I've recently seen them in the Dart, but Torquay is a bit of a surprise.

How did they taste?:encouragement:

 

[benjenbav]

There's loads in the Yealm and Fowey, and I've recently seen them in the Dart, but Torquay is a bit of a surprise.

How did they taste?:encouragement:

Smoky?

 

[sarabande]

The growth rate of those youngsters indicates that they arelikely to be the Pacific, or miyagi, oyster, much used by British oyster farms in preference to our native species. So much so that there is currently consideration (far too late I think) about labelling them as an invasive species.


To my shame, the Porlock Bay Oyster Company in which a member of my family has an interest, use Pacific Oysters in their growing project.

http://www.porlockbayoysters.co.uk/

Our native species are much more reluctant to grow quickly than the imported variety, some of which were introduced accidentally by commercial shipping as many as fifty years ago. But we were environmentally ignorant in those days.

 

[NoviceRod]

There's loads in the Yealm and Fowey, and I've recently seen them in the Dart, but Torquay is a bit of a surprise.

How did they taste?:encouragement:

As oysters don't agree with me, I didn't dare taste them, but they were probably well contaminated with diesel exhaust anyway.

I do visit the Dart from time to time, and Rob at Darthaven thinks the oyster farms in the Dart are the source. He is aware of a couple of boats with them growing on the hulls.

 

[sprocker]

Hi Rod. One of the dockies at Torquay was telling me that oysters had been found on a couple of boats recently, not sure if one of those was yours?

p.s. Are you the 335 Coupe on D? If so we are about 4 boats farther up.

 

[oldgit]

As most will know the oyster was cheap belly filler in times gone past but a few hard winters,disease and finally industrial pollution virtually destroyed commercial oyster fishing.
EU legislation forced the UK to clean up its lamentable record on industrial and agricultural pollution of our rivers and coastline.
Here on the River Medway the return of the non commercially farmed oyster has been noticable and oysters can be found attached to just about anything not actually moving and in most creeks in the area.
Big money has started to be made again, bringing commercial interests into conflict with leisure interests.
A well known oyster company in Whitstable has threatened legal action if any dredging is carried out in Oare Creek and also proposed banning the public from a section of a popular local beach.