Professor Matt Gray on the filtration capabilities of oysters

May 20, 2020
Horn Point Laboratory
Photo: Dave Harp/Chesapeake Bay Journal

Oysters are filter feeders that can help clean up the Chesapeake Bay, right? Many have seen the various web videos showing a dozen or so bivalves clearing a murky fish tank in just an hour. But are they such ecological superheroes that each one can siphon 50 gallons of water in a day? Is it true? Well, yes, but not so much in the real world, according to Matthew Gray, a scientist at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s Horn Point Laboratory. Check out this recent interview Matt did with the Chesapeake Bay Journal.

Pumped-up performance: Oysters’ filtering feat overstated

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