In the late 1910s and 1920s, oyster growers on the US Pacific coast turned to Japan for an unlikely solution to a worsening crisis. The region’s native Olympia oyster industry had declined dramatically after decades of overharvesting, pollution and deteriorating habitat. Growers began importing the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) from Japan, hoping that a larger, faster-growing oyster species could keep the declining industry alive. Initiated by accidental early shipments, the intentional scaled cultivation of these imports expanded rapidly throughout the 1920s, serving as the foundation of modern West Coast oyster farming. According to NOAA Fisheries , Pacific oysters, or Japanese oysters, were introduced to the United States from Japan in the 1920s and now support a Northwest shellfish industry contributing an estimated $270 million annually to the regional economy.
Get breaking news anytime, anywhere. Download the TOI app now!
