Well, it's true. According to this article the oyster farmers are
complaining about bull crap being washing into the local waters of
Tomales Bay, California.
No, bull......If there were no oysters in Tomales Bay the Water Board or the locals would never know how polluted the bay is when it rains. The Government never goes looking for pollution. They find it by monitoring. It’s a headache if they find it by monitoring. It’s a cancer if they find by looking for it. The industry is based on water quality not on shellfish meat quality. The parameter they measure is fecal coliform, which is a subset of coliform bacteria, and used as an indicator of sewage from warm-blooded sources mostly (i.e. Cows and Humans). The sources of pollution most likely to adversely affect water quality in Tomales Bay are the non-point sources. These sources include animal waste from dairy operations, wildlife, boats, and decentralized on-site sewage disposal systems serving residences, restaurants, and businesses surrounding the Bay. Rainfall-related closures of the commercial shellfishing areas are established to help mitigate the impact from these pollution sources.
Posted by: Chris Hinshaw at March 25, 2004 12:27 PM