Oystapacolypse now

This is not good news for oyster lovers ... and our planet.

 a disturbing nationwide decline in oysters and the life-giving reefs that they build is particularly dramatic in California, where the once-abundant native species has been virtually wiped out, according to a recent scientific study.

the report, published in the scientific journal proceedings of the royal society b, said Olympia oysters, once an integral part of the native American diet and a staple during the San Francisco gold rush, are functionally extinct. 

"essentially, today, the number of oyster reefs is zero," said Rob Brumbaugh, restoration director for the nature conservancy and co-author of the study. "It's the complete elimination of a key species and habitat on the west coast." - More