An ancient mound of shells has been mined in the San Francisco Bay for 100 years — but the oyster’s future is uncertain

For years now, if a commuter were to glance to the north side of the San Mateo Bridge, they might see a lonely barge, painted with the words “Lind Marine,” floating a few hundred yards from the shoreline. A stray vessel in the San Francisco Bay is not an uncommon sight. But this particular barge is the last sign of one of California’s oldest mining industries, which trades in what might be the Bay Area’s most unusual non-renewable natural resource. Not gold. Not oil. Oyster shells. For thousands of years, the San Francisco Bay was home to hundreds of millions of Olympia oysters. Native to the ...