{"id":13421,"date":"2020-06-16T10:07:12","date_gmt":"2020-06-16T14:07:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/?page_id=13421"},"modified":"2024-08-15T13:11:13","modified_gmt":"2024-08-15T17:11:13","slug":"naturalists-notebook-summer-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/naturalists-notebook-summer-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Naturalists Notebook: In Search of Ancient Oysters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
Restored oyster reefs provide healthy habitats and great places for fishing. Ongoing threats to oysters, such as disease and harvesting, mean that unless we make deliberate efforts to restore them, we are in danger of losing the benefits that oyster reefs provide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oysters are a valuable seafood product, and restoration and conservation efforts have historically focused on protecting juvenile oysters. Mature oysters devote more energy to reproduction than shell growth, and they could be a valuable asset that currently receives inadequate levels of protection. Learning more about oysters of the past, which might have faced fewer challenges, could inform how we think about both juvenile and mature oysters when conceiving new strategies for oyster management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n