Oyster
The largest oyster-producing body of water in the United States is Chesapeake Bay, although these beds have decreased in number due to overfishing and pollution. Willapa Bay in Washington produces more oysters than any other estuary in the US. Other large oyster farming areas in the US include the bays and estuaries along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico from Apalachicola, Florida in the east to Galveston, Texas in the west. Large beds of edible oysters are also found in Japan and Australia. In 2005, China accounted for 80% of the global oyster harvest. Within Europe, France remained the industry leader.
Pacific Northwest oyster industry
Thousands of years prior to European settlement of the Pacific Northwest of the United States the native oyster species "Ostrea lurida" had been established as a valuable dietary resource for indigenous people living on the coastal waters. European settlers who began to colonize the area had an acquired taste for shellfish and especially oysters a delicacy that were considered a symbol of wealth. In the early history of the Northwest people satisfied their hunger for shellfish by harvesting naturally occurring oyster beds. At first some people believed the populations of the native oyster were sufficient to supply both tribal and commercial harvest. A marketable industry was created on the export of oysters and soon exploitation of harvesting had depleted the natural oyster beds in California and Oregon. As a result Washington State became the main supplier to areas along the coast which had failed to establish any conservation practices. Noticing the economic value and decline of natural availability, farmers began efforts to cultivate oysters to try and satisfy demand. Over the years the oyster industry of the Pacific Northwest has gone from extremely lucrative to completely nonexistent, but still the industry has been able to adapt and survive.