OYSTERS

Equipment needed: Tide book, gloves, oyster knife, containers.

Three species of oysters are found in British Columbia, but only one is of real
importance—the Japanese or Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas). This species has
been the mainstay of the industry here since about 1930.

Oysters are harvested in the winter and early spring months. Indeed, the old
saying that oysters should only be eaten during those months in which the letter
“R” occurs is very close to the truth, although it is merely coincidental. Oysters
are edible throughout the whole year, but it is only during the colder winter months
from October to May that they are at their best.

In late spring, when the water temperatures rise, the oyster changes its thick
layer of fine creamy fat to spawn. During most of the warm summer months,
oysters are in spawning condition. The body, though plump, is covered with a
heavy layer of reproductive tissue, which is soft and turns to liquid when the body
is punctured. To most people, oysters in this condition are unpalatable. It is
usually in July or August when temperatures are highest that oysters discharge
their spawn and are left in a thin, semi-translucent condition. During this period
they are unappetizing and have little or no food value. This condition does not
last long, and they soon begin to build typical winter layers of fat. By October
most of them are prime once again.

Tips to Oyster Gatherers.—Choose a low tide for your district from the tide
book. Most low tides in winter months are after dark, so remember to take along
flashlights or lanterns. Locate your oyster bed and make sure you are not on a
registered oyster lease. These are posted with signs. Pick your oysters at the low-
est possible point on the beach. This is where you will find the prime ones. Pick
an area as far from human habitation as possible.