A Closer Look at Oysters
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By Jane Iwan
iawah Island’s Native American prehistory
dates back to at least 2000 B.C. At that time
the Thom’s Creek phase groups occupied
the Island, Thom’s Creek being a tributary
of Bass Creek, which flows into the Kiawah River. Over time
the shucked oysters left behind by the Native Americans
accumulated into massive shell middens—a heap of clam,
oyster, whelk or mussel shells. Shell middens are also referred
to as kitchen middens because these shells are the remnants
of thousands of years of meals eaten at these locations. The
early Native Americans left behind dense shell midden
sites as well as sites characterized by scatterings of pottery
and shell-filled pits. The middens are composed of various
shellfish, but oyster shells dominate the remnants.
The oyster (Crassostrea virginica) dominates the oyster
fishing industry on the East Coast. North of Cape Fear in
North Carolina, most oysters are subtidal, i.e., submerged
throughout the tidal cycle. From south of Cape Fear to
northeastern Florida most oysters are intertidal, meaning
they grow in areas that are exposed between high and low
tides. Although these intertidal oysters can be subject to
temperature extremes, drastically high or low temperatures
rarely kill them.
Spawning begins in the springtime, is most intensive
over the summer, and continues until October. Fertilization
occurs when sperm and eggs are released into the oyster’s
water column. Within about 24 hours, free-swimming larvae
develop. The larvae move by drawing in water through cilia,
tiny hair-like structures in the gills, and creating a wavelike
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Photo by Renee Levow
Photo by Renee Levow