Chesapeake Oysters: The Bay's Foundation and Future - Hardcover

Livie, Kate

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1540212696 ISBN 13: 9781540212696

Publisher: History Press Library Editions, 2015

Synopsis

Crassostrea virginica, the eastern oyster. These humble bivalves are the living bones of the Chesapeake and the ecological and historical lifeblood of the region. When colonists first sailed these impossibly abundant shores, they described massive shoals of foot-long oysters. But the bottomless appetite of the Gilded Age and great fleets of skipjacks took their toll. Disease, environmental pressures and overconsumption decimated the population by the end of the twentieth century. While Virginia turned to bottom-leasing, passionate debate continues in Maryland among scientists and oystermen whether aquaculture or wild harvesting is the better way forward. Today, boutique oyster farming in the Bay is sustainably meeting the culinary demand of a new generation of connoisseurs. With careful research and interviews with experts, author Kate Livie presents this dynamic story and a glimpse of what the future may hold.

About this title

About the Author

Kate Livie is a professional Chesapeake educator, writer and historian. An Eastern Shore native, Livie is passionate about the Chesapeake Bay's culture, heritage and landscape. She currently serves as the director of education at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Maryland, and writes for the Chesapeake Bay Journal and beautifulswimmers.tumblr.com. She lives with her husband in Chestertown, Maryland, and to date she owns thirteen oyster knives.

Review

"Selected for its breadth of research in terms of the Bay's oyster fishery and its economic and cultural impact on the development of the Chesapeake Bay region and beyond; the importance of the topic for those who would understand the ecological impact of oystering upon the health of the Bay; author Livie's graceful prose and selection of lively anecdotes; and her valuable contribution linking the history of oystering, oystermen, politics, and the current role of aquaculture in the future of the seafood industry."Dr. William S. Dudley, Maryland Historical Society

Edition details

• Publisher: History Press Library Editions
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1540212696
• ISBN 13: 9781540212696
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 210