A Mollusc and a Delicacy

A number of families of saltwater bivalve molluscs which reside in sea or brackish water bodies are clubbed together under the term oyster.

Some kinds of oysters are fit for human consumption. The edible oysters are cooked or eaten raw. However, enjoying raw oyster is a highly acquired taste. Lemon juice, cocktail or hot sauce are the right accompaniments to the raw oyster. The meat inside the oyster shell is the edible part of the oyster.

The edible oysters mainly belong to the genera Ostrea, Crassostrea, Ostreola, and Saccostrea. Pacific oyster, Belon oyster and Sydney Rock oyster are some of the important edible oysters. The Pacific oyster is presently the most widely grown bivalve around the world. A cluster of oysters is commonly called an oyster bed or an oyster reef.

Background

Oysters are protandric; during their first year they spawn as males by releasing sperm and over the next two or three years they spawn as females, releasing eggs. Oysters generally attain maturity in one year.

Another singular feature of oysters is that they can act as habitat for several marine species. A number of tiny creatures can and do live on the hard surfaces of oyster shells and nooks between these shells.

Oysters are also beneficial for the environment. These molluscs intake nitrogen-containing compounds, phosphates, plankton, detritus, bacteria, and dissolved organic matter, and whatever of these is not used for the oysters’ growth is ejected as solid waste pellets, which decompose into the atmosphere as nitrogen. Thus water gets freed from the negative influences of the above-mentioned organic and inorganic substances. Succinctly, oyster acts as a water filter of sorts.

Then and Now