Threats
The once thriving Olympia Oyster has been endangered by pollution from mills and outboard motors. Highway construction and over-harvesting has also affected their substrate by creating a lot of silt. This abundance of silt smothers the oysters. Over-harvesting also takes away the old shells that spat need to grow on.
They oysters are preyed upon by animals such as sea ducks and rock crabs (Cancer productus). They are also affected by a parasitic red worm (which lives in their anus), the Japanese oyster drill, the slipper shell (that competes for space and food), and shrimp. The ghost and blue shrimp stir up sediment that smothers the oysters.
Read more about this topic: Ostrea Lurida
Famous quotes containing the word threats:
“Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.”
—Bible: New Testament, Luke 3:14.
John the Baptist to Soldiers.
“Among the best traitors Ireland has ever had, Mother Church ranks at the very top, a massive obstacle in the path to equality and freedom. She has been a force for conservatism, not on the basis of preserving Catholic doctrine or preventing the corruption of her children, but simply to ward off threats to her own security and influence.”
—Bernadette Devlin (b. 1947)
“Southerners, whose ancestors a hundred years ago knew the horrors of a homeland devastated by war, are particularly determined that war shall never come to us again. All Americans understand the basic lessons of history: that we need to be resolute and able to protect ourselves, to prevent threats and domination by others.”
—Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.)