Skip to content
CapRadio

CapRadio

signal status listen live donate
listen live donate signal status
listen live donate signal status
  • News
    • topics
    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
  • Music
    • genres
    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic
    • Daily Playlist
  • Programs + Podcasts
    • news
    • Morning Edition
    • All Things Considered
    • Marketplace
    • Insight With Vicki Gonzalez
    • music
    • Acid Jazz
    • At the Opera
    • Classical Music
    • Connections
    • Excellence in Jazz
    • Hey, Listen!
    • K-ZAP on CapRadio
    • Mick Martin's Blues Party
    • Programs A-Z
    • Podcast Directory
  • Schedules
    • News
    • Music
    • ClassicalStream
    • JazzStream
    • Weekly Schedule
    • Daily Playlist
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • CapRadio Garden
    • CapRadio Reads
    • Ticket Giveaways
  • Support
    • Evergreen Gift
    • One-Time Gift
    • Corporate Support
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Gift
    • Legacy Gift
    • Endowment Gift
    • Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • e‑Newsletter
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Close Menu
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
  • Environment
  • Food and Sustainability
  •  

Study: Climate Change May Benefit California Oysters, But There's A Catch

  •  Amy Quinton 
Monday, October 10, 2016 | Sacramento, CA
Listen
/
Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
Brian Cheng / UC Davis

An invasive female oyster drill and her eggs attach to a native Olympia oyster in Tomales Bay, California.

Brian Cheng / UC Davis

UC Davis researchers examined how oysters may fare under climate change. 

In a study, published in the journal Functional Ecology, they found that native oysters can tolerate extreme temperatures – and can even grow faster - provided they have food. But warmer temperatures also benefit oyster drills, predatory snails that eat the oysters. Two species of these predatory snails have been introduced to California from the East Coast and Asia. An oyster drill secretes acid to bore a hole in the oyster’s shell.

Full Conversation With Brian Cheng

Listen
/
Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.

 

“Once they made that hole, they will use their mouth parts to tear away little bits of oyster flesh," says Brian Cheng, a doctoral student at UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory and the study's lead author. "It’s pretty much in my opinion one of the worst ways to go because I imagine the death is quite slow.”

Cheng says with climate change, the oyster drill could eat the oysters faster and decimate the population.

oysterhole

This native oyster from Tomales Bay, Calif., has survived four drilling attempts by oyster drills, a predatory snail.  Brian Cheng / UC Davis

 

Native California oysters are no longer fished in the state. Most oysters eaten by consumers and farmed on the Pacific Coast typically come from Asia. 

Cheng says the oyster drill is already damaging farmed oyster populations in Tomales Bay.

“Oyster drills have eliminated much of the oysters in parts of that estuary," Cheng says. "So we know that it’s ongoing and this work suggests that it could be worse.”

He says the good news is that oyster drills are relatively easy to find and remove from the ocean. The bad news is that other aspects of climate change, like ocean acidification, may continue to harm oysters. 

 


Follow us for more stories like this

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you.  As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

Donate Today  

 UC Davisclimate changeoystersinvasivessnailsUC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory

Amy Quinton

Former Environment Reporter

Amy came to Sacramento from New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR) where she was Environment Reporter. Amy has also reported for NPR member stations WFAE in Charlotte, WAMU in Washington D.C. and American Public Media's "Marketplace."  Read Full Bio 

Sign up for ReCap and never miss the top stories

Delivered to your inbox every Friday.

 

Check out a sample ReCap newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

Thank you for signing up for the ReCap newsletter! We'll send you an email each Friday with the top stories from CapRadio.

Browse all newsletters

More Environment Stories

Andrew Nixon / CapRadio

How massive wildfires create their own weather

August 5, 2022

Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

Can Californians afford electric cars? Wait lists for rebates are long and some programs have shut down

August 2, 2022

Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

Wrangling over renewables: Counties push back on Newsom administration usurping local control

August 6, 2022

Most Viewed

A California man’s ‘painful and terrifying’ road to a monkeypox diagnosis

North Sacramento residents push back on affordable housing, say city ‘dumping’ homelessness solutions in neighborhood

California coronavirus updates: Flushed with cash from COVID-19 treatments, Pfizer buys another drug maker

Abortion is still legal in California. Here are answers to questions about access in the state.

Northern California wildfires: Where to find updates on air quality, evacuations, and official information

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Most Viewed

A California man’s ‘painful and terrifying’ road to a monkeypox diagnosis

North Sacramento residents push back on affordable housing, say city ‘dumping’ homelessness solutions in neighborhood

California coronavirus updates: Flushed with cash from COVID-19 treatments, Pfizer buys another drug maker

Abortion is still legal in California. Here are answers to questions about access in the state.

Northern California wildfires: Where to find updates on air quality, evacuations, and official information

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    • (916) 278-8900
    • Toll-free (877) 480-5900
    • Email Us
    • Submit a News Tip
  • Contact Us

  • About Us

    • Contact Us / Feedback
    • Coverage
    • Directions
    • Careers & Internships
    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Press
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile App
    • On Air Schedules
    • Smart Speakers
    • Playlist
    • Podcasts
    • RSS
  • Connect With Us

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2022, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.