Photograph from clgregor on Flickr The French seafood industry just can't get a break. First a violent herpes outbreak killed an estimated 80 percent of France's baby oysters, and now authorities fearing contamination by a poisonous microalgae have banned the sale and consumption of Arcachon Bay's oysters. Oyster producers, up in arms, are threatening to sue the government for permitting the bay to become polluted, reports the Independent. But after several French beaches were invaded by poisonous algae and jellyfish this summer, scientists have suggested that a rise in water temperature due to global warming may be the culprit. The Independent suggests an easy test for raw oysters: "If an oyster is open, tap the shell. It should close right... More

Photograph from benjamin_harrison on Flickr First honey bees, then snails, now this? Baby oysters are mysteriously dying by the millions along the French coast from Normandy to the Mediterranean, in what has become the worst crisis to hit the French oyster industry in 30 years. There's speculation that warmer sea temperatures have generated more plankton and baby oysters are dying from eating too much of the tiny organisms. But that doesn't add up: why would adolescent and adult oysters remain unaffected? Why are some oyster beds completely killed off while others remain immune? The impact on the French oyster industry could be devastating. Officials are assessing ways to change the harvesting process in the next several seasons, and the... More

In his latest post, Gerald takes us into the Crystal Seas oyster packing plant in Mississippi where each worker hand shucks 8-10 oysters a minute. The oysters are triple-rinsed before being collected in six pound buckets and the empty shells are planted back in the Gulf of Mississippi to become the new homes for next season's oysters. See more photos on Gerald's website, Foodite— I especially like the the ones of the oyster "waterfall."... More

It will be a two-round championship match between these two popular and alleged aphrodisiacs. In the first round, judges will be fed a three-course meal of oysters, then go home and have sex. In the second round, a three-course meal of chocolate. After each round, judges will rate their arousal and pleasure on a scale of one to ten. Which will take home the belt? More