I’m an Oyster
As a baby I’m orphaned

I don’t know my parents

Oysters don’t mate in the traditional sense.

There is no contact.

The sea is where the baby oysters form as larvae independent of parents after female and male deposit their eggs and sperm into the waters to join together in the formation of baby oysters.

The oyster is unique in that it can switch from male to female.



When the baby oyster is born it rides the current for a couple of weeks growing and maturing until it finds something to attach itself to as it subsists on phytoplankton for its food source.



Oysters develop a shell for their protection and live out their lives in the ocean after attaching themselves to a reef, dock, pier, rock or submerged surface.



Oysters are vital to the sea ecosystem and are responsible for the protection of coastal environments by serving as buffers as they form oyster reefs that protect from storm surges and beach erosion.



They are like the army corps of engineers but they are the army corps of oysters.



Oyster hatcheries are facilities in the vast waterways serving to farm and breed oysters and control water environments for the growth of baby oysters.



It’s quite surprising but oysters can live long lives if they’re protected from commercial use for up to 25 years. The average lifespan of an oyster is 5 years but harvested oysters have short lifespans.



Oysters are one of life’s mysteries in how they develop pearls.



The pearl develops in the shell of the oyster after an intruder enters and is coated with a substance the oyster secretes that hardens and forms a pearl around the intruder.



These pearls are farmed and cleaned and are widely sought and are truly mother of pearl.



Oysters symbolize beauty, wisdom and hidden treasure and the pearl is their gift.



Oysters serve important roles in the coastal environment and their lives are very important to maintaining balance.



Please respect me in the sea as you see my shell by the dock of the bay.



I’m an oyster.