The Return of the Oysters
John McCabe

Overall, the 20th century marked the rebounding of oyster populations. The first half of this century saw enormous industrial growth in many countries. The horrors of two world wars swept over the world. In between, the Great Depression brought unimaginable poverty to many. Growing industrialization and burgeoning populations in many coastal cities all over the world led to the discharge of billions of gallons of inadequately treated waste into rivers and coastal waters. By the end of the first half of the 20th century, France had further strenghtened its market share Europe. In the United States, the Gulf States had established themselves as the nation's leaders in oyster production. Over-harvesting in the Chesapeake Bay had meanwhile led to a massive decline in harvests. Northeastern oyster growers continued to struggle with moderate harvests and a rapidly increasing pollution problem. The West Coast, although almost completely dependent on imported spatted cultch (oyster babies) from Japan, had by now emerged as a formidable grower of oysters.

More details on the first half of the 20th century

The second half was also marked by enormous industrial growth and tremendous advancements in all the sciences. The Korean, Vietnam, and Gulf War came to pass. Next to the rich upper crust, a broad and prosperous middle class evolved in both Europe and North America. Great steps were taken in the areas of environmental protection. A number of powerful state and governmental agencies evolved in Europe and North America, which directly or indirectly complemented each other in protecting the environment and public health. Fighting pollution as well as rebuilding and maintaining the overall integrity of rivers, lakes and coastal environments became a prime endeavor of many nations both in Europe and North America. This had a considerable bolstering effect on the seafood industry as a whole.The term "aquaculture" became a powerful buzz word.

Both European and U.S. oyster growers were severely impacted by the advent of a number of "new" oyster diseases. The European oyster industry nearly collapsed completely by the early 70s due to oyster diseases. It rebounded, however, later in the 70s, due to the successful introduction of the Pacific oyster (replacing the former Portuguese oyster) as well as the continued cultivation of the European oysters with natural and laboratory raised seed stock. France continued to be the market leader in terms of oysters in Europe. Although France dominated the European oyster industry for the rest of the century, new players entered the game, most notably Scotland, Ireland, England, the Netherlands, and Germany. Compared to France, their volume was relatively small but the quality was (and still is) remarkably high. Although their cool waters dictate slow oyster growth and there was (and still is) a dependency on French natural oyster seed as well as laboratory seed, the ultimate product earned the respect of many European oyster lovers.

Starting in the 50s and 60s, U.S. oyster growers on the East Coast and the Gulf were besieged by two deadly parasites almost simultaneously: MSX and Dermo. These two diseases continued to ravage the Eastern oyster populations throughout the second half of the 20th century. They continue to do so now at the beginning of the 21st century. The Chesapeake Bay oyster industry was particularly hard hit by both oyster diseases. Neither of these two parasitic diseases was (or is to the present day) fully understood. Despite the setbacks, the Gulf states maintained a commanding lead in the U.S. oyster production (about 60% of the national total). The oyster growers in the Northeast continued to struggle with limited harvests (approximately 10% of the national total). The West Coast, however, saw a meteoric rise in oyster production (about 30% of the national total). The large scale production of oyster seed in American marine laboratories in the late 1970s allowed West Coast oyster growers to finally shed their dependency on Japan. In the last decade of the 20th century, U.S. oyster landings averaged about 35 - 40 million pounds of meats annually, valued at well over $100 million.

More details on the second half of the 20th century.