When oysters bite the dust

The Olympia oysters of the Pacific coast of North America are a mine-canary symptom of the health of the continent's coastal ecosystems, according to The Living Shore by Rowan Jacobsen.

The populations have been diminishing, but there is hope apparently. Strong Oly numbers have been counted in pockets of British Columbia and the US Government is committing money to oyster conservation projects across the country.

As always, human nature is to over-exploit natural resources -- in this case estuary populations of oysters -- but recent American policy is positive (e.g. in Chesapeake Bay). At last, US politicians seem to be getting serious about environmental issues. We might be seeing a glimmer of hope at national level for sensible decision-making on climate change and ecology policies.