Ancient Australians and Americans ate billions of oysters for thousands of millennia

Pre-colonial indigenous communities in Australia and North America harvested and consumed oysters in large quantities. However, the massive consumption of oysters has not caused oyster populations to collapse or become extinct.

Pre-colonial oyster fisheries yield incredible oysters and are sustainably managed over thousands of years of intensive harvesting.

The study, co-directed by anthropologist Torben Rick of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and co-directed anthropologist Leslie Reeder-Myers of Temple University, focused primarily on the history of oyster fishing in the area. regions of eastern Australia and the coastal regions of North America, the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. To obtain these results, the two researchers combined historical records of oyster fishing and archaeological data on the diversity in the regional distribution of oysters, as well as the national history issues from indigenous communities.

Oysters play an important role in the culture and cuisine of Australian and American communities. The researchers also show that modern oyster harvests and degraded coral reefs can be revived by applying extensive knowledge of ancient indigenous communities to resource management. this resource.

According to The Guardian, nearly 85% of the world's 19th-century oyster reefs have been lost in the past 200 years.

This is a huge mound of shells, mostly oyster shells, in the Crystal River area in Florida. Source: Victor Thompson / Smithsonian)

According to CNN, researchers have documented mounds in both the US and Australia that literally contain billions of oyster shells. Mound Key on the Florida Gulf Coast has the largest number of oyster shells, with about 18.6 billion shells consumed by the Calusa tribe. The largest shell mound is up to 9 meters high and is used as part of important ceremonies. The oldest shell mound between California and Massachusetts dates back nearly 6,000 years, and several others have remained in continuous use for more than 5,000 years.

Professor Ian McNiven, a research associate, said that along Australia's Great Sandy Strait in Queensland there are structures built as monuments of the landscape. The Booral Shell Mound, which contains several shells, is 5.9m long, 1.4m high and has an area of ​​154 square meters. He added: 'Booral 3,000 years ago was just jam packed with millions of oyster shells. This shows that oyster harvesting activities have taken place very actively."

The giant seashell mound on the Crystal River in Florida shows an abundance of oyster beds from thousands of years ago.

Oyster populations in regions such as Australia and North America began to decline soon after European settlers arrived and practiced commercial oyster fishing. The annual harvests of Saccostrea glomerata, commonly known as Sydney rock oysters, take place in southeastern Queensland, peaking in 1891 with about 43.8 million.

A dense oyster deposit dating back 1,000 years, was found during excavations at a Tseshaht First Nation village in the Pacific Northwest.

It is thought that the indigenous people scattered empty oyster shells on the sandy beaches to create a base for the next generation of oyster larvae to cling to. People do not harvest oysters all year round, but only during the 'appropriate' seasons. 

The commercial exploitation of oysters without a reserve has led to a drastic decline in oyster populations around the world. The combination of overfishing, runoff from agriculture and deforestation, has essentially killed off the huge oyster beds that the natives have so carefully managed.

Any measures that can help revive oyster populations need to be fully utilized. Study co-author Bonnie Newsom told CNN: 'Indigenous peoples had a certain knowledge of this creature and used it as part of their daily life and culture. Indigenous peoples have provided many strategies for interacting with this natural resource in a sustainable way."