The title of Dan Martino’s new book, “The Oyster Book: A Chronicle of the World’s Most Fascinating Shellfish — Past, Present, and Future,” may seem like hyperbole until you start reading.
Martino, co-owner of Cottage City Oysters in Oak Bluffs, spent about five years researching, writing, and editing the book. Before I cracked its spine, I honestly hadn’t given oysters much thought. But Martino’s engaging writing style and fascinating information draw you in.
These nutritionally rich bivalves are remarkable. They change gender, and filter roughly 50 gallons of water a day. But Martino’s most imperative information is how oysters can renew ocean environments, feed our growing human and animal populations, combat climate change, and sequester carbon — a mighty set of feats for such a small creature.
Martino writes reverently, introducing us first to their history: “For more than 250 million years, the oyster anatomy has gone unchanged, a testament to the flawless design of nature, evolution, and the ability of an organism to exploit its local ecosystem … The oyster is like a fine-tuned machine with the sole purpose of filtering and extracting the most minute elements out of seawater.”
Oysters are one of the oldest surviving, most successful species of life on Earth, with fossils of early examples growing as large as three feet, and weighing up to 20 pounds. Fossil records also reveal that humans have relied on them for hundreds of thousands of years. Initially, they were gathered simply by wading in the waters at low tide, but by 100 BC, the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans significantly depleted the oyster beds of the Mediterranean.
“Where there is a need, there is an opportunity,” Martino writes, introducing us to Sergius Orata, an ancient Roman merchant, inventor, and hydraulic engineer credited with devising a technique for breeding and growing large numbers of oysters in captivity. However, aquaculture didn’t catch on until the late 1980s and early 1990s. Not yet considered a luxury item, they were a cheap and accessible source of protein for the working class in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
“Oysters consumed all facets of American culture. Oyster bars became speakeasy havens for political events … Oyster carts and canned oysters provided Americans with affordable, nutritious protein … At its peak starting in 1880, the U.S. was producing as much as 160 million tons of oyster meat … In 1909, oysters cost half the price of beef per pound.” Apparently, oysters were eaten at “breakfast, lunch, and dinner, [by] rich and poor alike.”
What became a mania grew so intense that oyster beds became depleted. Many states passed legislation to protect them, restricting access to locals, outlawing certain types of oyster harvesting, and limiting the number of bushels that could be collected. Martino writes about what became the Oyster Wars: “An all-out oyster frenzy consumed the Northeast and Chesapeake Bay regions. People resorted to guns and violence. Mayhem ensued. Fortunes were made. Oystermen turned up dead.” Oyster police and an Oyster navy patrolled the waters, trying to impose law and order.
By the early 20th century, industrial factories were ejecting pollutants, causing breakouts of typhoid and gastrointestinal disorders and the deterioration of water quality. Oyster consumption fell as legislation closed down oyster beds, due to overharvesting and pollution.
Martino credits the Clean Water Act of 1972 for oysters’ comeback through sustainable farming practices. Looking toward the future, he stresses how oyster farming is a solution to food and climate change today. Oyster farming — which uses no land and minimal freshwater input — is a natural alternative to more resource-intensive food sources, and oysters are exceptionally good at capturing carbon, making them a necessary element in the quest for climate change solutions.
But “The Oyster Book” is not just a history. It has a plethora of information about different kinds of oysters worldwide and details about farming them. We read that since oysters extract nutrients from the ocean, converting them to protein and nutrients our human bodies need, each reflects the region from which it comes. Thus they differ, bearing the nuances of their locales, creating their own “merroir,” or specific taste of the waters, from which they came — the aqua equivalent to agricultural products’ terroir.
In an interview, Martino shares his imperative message: “I hope readers take away an understanding that like the oyster, humans have the ability to transform our environments. Like the oyster, our species can survive multiple extinction events if we can adapt. Like the oyster, we can nourish our species for hundreds of thousands of years — if we rely on sustainable food sources. Thick shell, soft on the inside — as humble as the oyster is, the species is a giant metaphor for how we should design our lives. To sit in one place, and filter through all the crap that comes along, for the pieces that truly matter.”
“The Oyster Book: A Chronicle of the World’s Most Fascinating Shellfish — Past, Present, and Future,” by Dan Martino. Available at Edgartown Books and Bunch of Grapes.
