By Bob Marshall

When you spend most days scanning the wire (ok, the Internet; I’m old-school) ferreting out the latest events on the important conservation issues of the day, you come across some remarkable stories. Most make you cry. Some make you laugh.

And then there are those that make you laugh while you cry.

Which brings me to these two headlines from last weekend that created a serious panic among those of us in Cajun country:

“Oysters With Herpes: One More Effect Of Climate Change”

and

“Crabs, Supersized By Carbon Pollution, May Upset Chesapeake’s Balance”

The first headline came across my cell phone inbox while I was attending - really – an oyster party in honor of a friend’s 50th birthday. As is the custom in The Big Easy, we had a sack of freshly harvested local oysters iced down and being shucked by a pro. Some were being placed on the grill floating in a butter-garlic sauce, others were getting lapped up from the half shell, graced with a dollop of Tabasco, chased on their journey with a pull from a very cold 12-ounce brew. Still others were being tossed in a deep fryer wearing a golden coat of crispy batter.

As the phone with its headline was passed among the guests, a sudden silence descended on the event. People stared at their beloved oysters and, for a few moments, stopped eating (a sure sign of distress at a south Louisiana feed). That fear was soon replaced by sorrow, which quickly changed to anger.

Climate change reality had finally hit these folks where it hurt most: Their cuisine.

That first hint of fear, of course, was based on the assumption this oyster herpes was the same virus that causes humans so much shame and pain. But as they read the story, they realized this was not a heaven-sent alibi for philandering spouses (Honey, it as an oyster, honest!). This was strictly a worry for the bivalves.

But that was still worry enough. What struck me was how serious some folks were finally talking about climate change.

The second story with the Washington Post headline at first read seemed to be a double-edged sword for the seafood lover. After all, who could be against jumbo crabs?

But the story quickly disabused us of any good news. The bully crabs were wreaking havoc on the oyster population, further complicating Chesapeake’s already struggling comeback from decades of demise.

And those jumbo crabs were all shell and no meat. As the story pointed out, “Carbon-absorbing crabs put all their energy into upgrading shells, not flesh — like a mansion without much furniture. So diners might be disappointed years from now when they crack open huge crabs and find little meat.”

In the past I’ve watched friends eyes glaze as I spread the news of glacial ice melt, explained eustatic sea level rise, the linear charting of high tide registrations, the methane release in melting permafrost, the convection rates of infrared waves, even attribution science, feedback loops and atmospheric blocking events.

But mention something they can see, feel and – most important of all – eat, and they’re suddenly focused like a field trial champion on point.

All of which is why sportsmen have been among the nation’s earliest and most active responders to the reality of climate change. It’s hit us where it hurts most, in the things we love.

As I watched the dinner friends react to the news, I had to laugh at them coming so late to the reality we accepted year ago. It also made me feel like crying.

Comments (10)

from Todd Tanner wrote 9 weeks 1 day ago

Thanks, Bob. Hell of a post. In addition to the recent news about crabs & oysters, I suspect that sportsmen are going to be more than a little bummed to learn that a common adaptation to our warming planet is likely to be dwarfism. I don't imagine too many folks are excited about the idea of 30 lb. mature whitetails or 8 inch lunker bass.

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from Dcast wrote 9 weeks 1 day ago

"Just when I think you couldn't possibly be any dumber, you go and do something like this... and totally redeem yourself"~ Harry Dunne

So climate change causes herpes in oysters! I don't know where to start, other than you actually posted this and in some way believe it. Don't expect many to agree other than a few trolls.

Supersized crabs also caused by climate change! It couldn't have anything to do with pollution such as agricultural runoff? How about maybe their food in general? How about infinite causes? OH NO!, it is climate change!

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from Horseapples wrote 9 weeks 20 hours ago

D, did you read the links? It isn't Bob reporting the story he is sharing it from researchers at the National Geographic. See below.

"The cause, according to the National Geographic, could actually be related to global warming. The herpes strain infecting the oysters is only active in waters above a certain temperature, and remains dormant otherwise. As global water temperatures rise, new breeding grounds for the herpes virus appear."

An inconvenient truth?

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from Dcast wrote 9 weeks 18 hours ago

Horseapple, I read the article, and understand that Mr. Marshall is just sharing this story hence my comment "I don't know where to start, other than you actually posted this and in some way believe it."

You have to understand, but clearly you do not, that everything is not related to global warming or climate change whichever you choose to use. Horseapple, do you realize there are diseases within us that lie dormant and one day they can just pop up causing life threating illness? One I can think of off the top of my head is cancer. We all have cancer cells in us thanks to oxidation and many other biological anomalies but one day it all goes wrong and BAM! You have terminal cancer or lesser. Same with many bacteria. We have harmful and beneficial bacteria at all times in our body and the harmful isn't always making us sick or harming us. Is this caused by GW? No it just happens.

You obviously buy into the whole GW theory, can you or anyone explain or pinpoint the optimal temperature of earth. Can you or anyone explain the cause of the end of the last ice age without humans? Can you prove why heat waves are GW and blizzards are also? I can explain why it isn't with one word JETSTREAM. Proof, the month of March 2013 and every month since recorded.

I believe in climate change but not what Al Gore-ites believe. I believe in global warming and cooling based off of the earths source of energy the sun. I don't believe in: anthropogenic global warming, that all the ice on earth will melt due to AGW, herpes infested oyster due to AGW, or the end of the world. I can go on and would love too but I'm tired not as in sleepy, as in tired of crap like this. To each their own I guess. Back to my, the sun is always shining life!

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from Mike Diehl wrote 9 weeks 17 hours ago

"I believe in..."

And that is all that anyone needs to know.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Constant Gardener wrote 9 weeks 14 hours ago

Why are comments even allowed on this blog? No matter how uncontroversial the science, the sub-literate lecturers spew and spew and spew. Granted, there is just the one today, but you get my point.

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from Dcast wrote 9 weeks 2 hours ago

As we all know the Apocalypse never came that the Mayans were predicting, thank God! But it does seem climate change was the demise of them!

science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/11/17708765-drought-blamed-for-demise-of-mayans?lite

I see the trolls have came out from under their bridge!

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from Dcast wrote 9 weeks 2 hours ago

Constant Gardner, Do you care to debate the issue? You clearly are a troll coming out of the wood work to spew nonsense and then go back into hiding! At least Mike Deihl has enough ballz to have a debate. It's kind of like fighting with your child because neither one wins and both give up due to exhaustion!

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from hermit crab wrote 9 weeks 1 hour ago

I love this game!

Fact: carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas.
Fact: greenhouse gases prevent heat from escaping from the earth at night, leading to increased temperatures (I.e. global warming
Fact: burning oil, coal, and other fossil fuels releases carbon (as CO2) that was otherwise sequestered in the ground
Fact: CO2 levels have risen to levels not seen in the past 3-15 million years ago, when the climate was much warmer, due primarily to our burning of fossil fuels
Fact: as ice melts, less sunlight is reflected back into space further increasing the temperature of the land and water - this is a positive feedback loop
Fact: despite overwhelming evidence, some people will simply refuse to acknowledge a fact.

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from Horseapples wrote 4 weeks 6 days ago

D, I cannot post the direct link but type in the following in your URL and check it out:

mediamatters.org/blog/2012/11/28/meet-the-climate-denial-machine/191545#heritage

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Post a Comment

 

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from Mike Diehl wrote 9 weeks 17 hours ago

"I believe in..."

And that is all that anyone needs to know.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Dcast wrote 9 weeks 2 hours ago

As we all know the Apocalypse never came that the Mayans were predicting, thank God! But it does seem climate change was the demise of them!

science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/11/17708765-drought-blamed-for-demise-of-mayans?lite

I see the trolls have came out from under their bridge!

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Todd Tanner wrote 9 weeks 1 day ago

Thanks, Bob. Hell of a post. In addition to the recent news about crabs & oysters, I suspect that sportsmen are going to be more than a little bummed to learn that a common adaptation to our warming planet is likely to be dwarfism. I don't imagine too many folks are excited about the idea of 30 lb. mature whitetails or 8 inch lunker bass.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Dcast wrote 9 weeks 1 day ago

"Just when I think you couldn't possibly be any dumber, you go and do something like this... and totally redeem yourself"~ Harry Dunne

So climate change causes herpes in oysters! I don't know where to start, other than you actually posted this and in some way believe it. Don't expect many to agree other than a few trolls.

Supersized crabs also caused by climate change! It couldn't have anything to do with pollution such as agricultural runoff? How about maybe their food in general? How about infinite causes? OH NO!, it is climate change!

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Horseapples wrote 9 weeks 20 hours ago

D, did you read the links? It isn't Bob reporting the story he is sharing it from researchers at the National Geographic. See below.

"The cause, according to the National Geographic, could actually be related to global warming. The herpes strain infecting the oysters is only active in waters above a certain temperature, and remains dormant otherwise. As global water temperatures rise, new breeding grounds for the herpes virus appear."

An inconvenient truth?

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Dcast wrote 9 weeks 2 hours ago

Constant Gardner, Do you care to debate the issue? You clearly are a troll coming out of the wood work to spew nonsense and then go back into hiding! At least Mike Deihl has enough ballz to have a debate. It's kind of like fighting with your child because neither one wins and both give up due to exhaustion!

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from hermit crab wrote 9 weeks 1 hour ago

I love this game!

Fact: carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas.
Fact: greenhouse gases prevent heat from escaping from the earth at night, leading to increased temperatures (I.e. global warming
Fact: burning oil, coal, and other fossil fuels releases carbon (as CO2) that was otherwise sequestered in the ground
Fact: CO2 levels have risen to levels not seen in the past 3-15 million years ago, when the climate was much warmer, due primarily to our burning of fossil fuels
Fact: as ice melts, less sunlight is reflected back into space further increasing the temperature of the land and water - this is a positive feedback loop
Fact: despite overwhelming evidence, some people will simply refuse to acknowledge a fact.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Horseapples wrote 4 weeks 6 days ago

D, I cannot post the direct link but type in the following in your URL and check it out:

mediamatters.org/blog/2012/11/28/meet-the-climate-denial-machine/191545#heritage

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Dcast wrote 9 weeks 18 hours ago

Horseapple, I read the article, and understand that Mr. Marshall is just sharing this story hence my comment "I don't know where to start, other than you actually posted this and in some way believe it."

You have to understand, but clearly you do not, that everything is not related to global warming or climate change whichever you choose to use. Horseapple, do you realize there are diseases within us that lie dormant and one day they can just pop up causing life threating illness? One I can think of off the top of my head is cancer. We all have cancer cells in us thanks to oxidation and many other biological anomalies but one day it all goes wrong and BAM! You have terminal cancer or lesser. Same with many bacteria. We have harmful and beneficial bacteria at all times in our body and the harmful isn't always making us sick or harming us. Is this caused by GW? No it just happens.

You obviously buy into the whole GW theory, can you or anyone explain or pinpoint the optimal temperature of earth. Can you or anyone explain the cause of the end of the last ice age without humans? Can you prove why heat waves are GW and blizzards are also? I can explain why it isn't with one word JETSTREAM. Proof, the month of March 2013 and every month since recorded.

I believe in climate change but not what Al Gore-ites believe. I believe in global warming and cooling based off of the earths source of energy the sun. I don't believe in: anthropogenic global warming, that all the ice on earth will melt due to AGW, herpes infested oyster due to AGW, or the end of the world. I can go on and would love too but I'm tired not as in sleepy, as in tired of crap like this. To each their own I guess. Back to my, the sun is always shining life!

-1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Constant Gardener wrote 9 weeks 14 hours ago

Why are comments even allowed on this blog? No matter how uncontroversial the science, the sub-literate lecturers spew and spew and spew. Granted, there is just the one today, but you get my point.

-1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

Post a Comment

 

All submitted comments are subject to the rules set forth in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.