No other shellfish quite captures the essence of the sea like the oyster does.  From the warm waters in Southeast Asia, to the cool Scottish seas, this adaptable creature has been harvested for thousands of years.  But over-exploitation, pollution and disease have devastated local populations around the world.  Introduction of the hearty Pacific Oyster (C.gigas) is the answer many oyster farmers are counting on.  But what are the risks, and will we ever be able to bring back local species to pre-crisis levels?

In 17^th century coastal England, ports were bustling centers of working-class life.  After a hard day of work, the men would unwind by drinking a hearty stout and slurping down some freshly opened oysters.  Breweries located near the sea found an inexpensive filter material in pummeled oyster shells.  Eventually, someone got the idea to actually put oysters in the beer.  Oyster Stout was born, and to this day, oyster aficionados in Ireland, Scotland, England and even Australia and the US  look forward to limited runs of oyster stout still made by a handful of breweries during oyster season (months with “r” of course).