The Magicians of the Sea Make CO₂ Disappear
Scientist discover the carbon capturing abilities of shellfish
Scientists have long wondered whether shellfish, like oysters, can remove CO₂ from the air or whether they contribute to natural carbon emissions. If oysters could sequester CO₂, then oysters wouldn’t just be tasty treats but environmental stewards. It turns out, according to a new research article published in PNAS, that oysters are natural magicians that can make CO₂ disappear from the air and water.
Photo: Food & Wine
The study found that oysters reduce CO₂ levels using a natural slight-of-hand trick, trapping CO₂ in their shells and converting it into organic carbon. Organic carbon then sequesters the CO₂ by settling to the ocean floor, naturally storing it in the depths for millions of years and thereby lowering CO₂ concentrations in the air and water.
This new research is not only a helpful carbon reduction strategy but also a potential boon for oyster farmers as well.
“I think it’s hopeful,” said Bill Walton, Acuff Professor of Marine Science and Shellfish Aquaculture Program Coordinator at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, who was unaffiliated with the study.
He believes the research can garner “public support for something that needs public permission.” Oyster farming typically takes place in public waters, drawing complaints from homeowners. The oyster’s newly discovered CO₂ disappearing act might encourage coastal communities to applaud oyster farms because, as Walton puts it, “your community and the planet might be better off.”
Photo Credit: Robert F. Bukaty / AP file
Due to rising CO₂ levels in the Earth’s atmosphere, oceans are experiencing something called ocean acidification. Ocean acidification refers to a decline in the pH of ocean water caused by high levels of dissolved CO₂, making it acidic. The acid-like ocean water has already destroyed massive marine ecosystems, reducing the amount of wild seafood available for human consumption and, ultimately, jobs.
“I wouldn’t tell my kids to go into commercial fishing, not because I’m anti-commercial fishing. There’s just not enough opportunity there to make a living; I would encourage them to go into shellfish aquaculture.”
The lack of available wild-caught fish is attributed to warming water and ocean acidification.
The new study shows that oysters can mitigate ocean acidification and serve as an important food source, supplementing wild fish supplies. Walton expanded on the studies’ findings, discussing how oyster farming “creates jobs in rural working communities.”
Put simply, “the ecosystem is better with more shellfish in it.”
In addition to sequestering CO₂, Walton identified other environmental benefits of oyster farming, noting that it does not require fertilizer or drinking water, like meat production, and reduces pollutant levels. Most food requires fresh water and chemical inputs, straining natural resources and producing greenhouse gas emissions that accelerate climate change. Particularly, beef production is associated with high methane emissions, which trap heat in the earth’s atmosphere. Walton echoed this fact, saying oysters are “one of the better meats that you can produce in terms of environmental footprints.”
While oyster farming has long been viewed as a sustainable technique to produce food, this new study highlights the growing carbon benefits of introducing these magician-like creatures into the ecosystem. The study cements the notion that “shellfish aquaculture is clearly one of the ways we can produce food in a way that’s a net benefit to the environment.”