Coastal oyster population increasing in acidity, farmers encounter difficulty

PORTLAND Ore. (KOIN) — Farmers on the Oregon Coast are struggling to stay afloat as water acidity rises and oyster population falters.

The Pacific Northwest is the largest oyster producer in the U.S., with the industry bringing in about $270 million per year. The West Coast is quickly acidifying, making it difficult for oysters to maintain healthy population levels due to increased difficulty building shells.

Last year, the FDA issued a warning on oysters and bay clams harvested in Northern Oregon due to a spike in paralytic shellfish poisoning. This issue has become increasingly poignant this year, with the Oregon Coast being temporarily closed for razor clam harvesting earlier this year.

AXIOS Portland reports that farmers are facing this issue head-on by planting beds of eelgrass to soak up carbon dioxide and attempting to return pH levels to normal using sodium carbonate in hatchery water and along shorelines. Still, these methods are temporary solutions, leaving the farmers floundering for a better option.

A more permanent solution to the acidity in West Coast waters is yet to be determined.