Turn oysters into a seafaring guard

French scientists hope to detect sea pollution early enough to find an incredible ally of the soft-bodied family that often appears on the restaurant menu.

Their research shows that, like bringing canaries to coal mines, oysters located near offshore oil platforms can detect small amounts of hydrocarbons used every day for filtering dozens of gallons of water. Following this, scientists can soon detect small cracks in the infrastructure before the oil spill disaster can occur and threaten wildlife as well as coastal communities.

Living by clinging to rocks or other substrates , oysters are the ideal animal for analyzing in real time because 'they have nothing to do but notice the vibrating sound around, the temperature and light changes' - researcher Jean-Charles Massabuau from the CNRS Science Institute of France exchanged.

Researcher Jean-Charles Massabuau observes oysters attached to electrodes in a specially made box at his laboratory in Arcachon /

Working with the University of Bordeaux, he developed the process of measuring oyster reactions when exposed to domestic oil and natural gas since 2011 with many biologists, mathematicians and computer experts.

This bivalve mollusk is perfect for sampling water quality that it filters throughout the day as it responds almost immediately to any amount of oil no matter how small. To study the reaction, he and his team used an insulated fish tank made of plastic and concrete foam blocks, old bicycle tires and tennis balls at the world's second oldest marine research station. in Arcachon Bay in southwestern France.

The electrodes are attached to dozens of oysters in the tank, allowing researchers to measure the rate of opening and closing valves to filter each oyster's water. The mutation in the valve opening cycle is the first sign that the oysters are under stress, in which the cycle increases corresponding to higher hydrocarbon concentrations.

Observations have been made in many areas including the Barents Sea in Norway and Russia as well as the canals built for a research facility run by giant energy group Total located outside the city of Pau in the west. South of France.

The potential of this technology has attracted the attention of the group in 2012, when they began collaborating with the laboratory and providing financial support. Philippe Blanc, head of Total's anti-pollution efforts, said the study could help protect the marine environment from 'silent leaks' taking place at their facilities.

So far they have invested about 1.7 million euros for this oyster guard. After 14 months of testing at the Abu Al Bukhoosh oil field off the coast of Abu Dhabi with pearl oysters, Total is planning to launch a similar project at the Al Khalij oil field in Qatar. However, Massabuau warns despite the enthusiasm for promoting environmentally conscious images, Total can see the partnership with the lab as 'double-edged sword'. He expects his research to become a 'reliable guarantee' and not just a 'scientific approval stamp' for Total's activities.