"You can say that we're the only farmers who don't like rain," said Neal Maloney, owner of Morro Bay Oyster Co., a Central California harvester that produces around 1 million Pacific Gold oysters per year. When rain causes Chorro Creek, which empties into Morro Bay, to rise by a foot, Maloney is unable to harvest for several days. In addition to the stoppage, the Morro Bay Oyster Co. is still recovering from the effects of the pandemic, which closed restaurants that purchased the oysters. California oyster supplies can be "hit and miss" since harvesting is shut down by even small amounts of rain, Bell said. In some oyster regions, harvesting can be halted by as little as 0.4 inches of rain, per the California Department of Public Health.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 21, 2023 15:20 UTC