奇速英语

15岁少女和她的“牡蛎军团”

To many, oysters (牡蛎) are simply a tasty dish or the source of beautiful pearls. But for 15-year-old Demi Johnson from Gulfport, Mississippi, these shellfish are true environmental heroes. “They’re really important,” Demi said. A single oyster can clean up to 190 L of seawater daily by removing algae (海藻) and harmful organisms. Even more impressive, oyster reefs create thriving habitats for fish, crabs, and other marine life while acting as natural barriers against coastal erosion.

Demi discovered oysters’ superpowers through “oyster gardening” — a conservation method where oysters are raised in underwater cages to restore declining populations. Starting in 2022 as a Girl Scouts project, she knew nothing about the process at first. “I was just curious,” she admits. Now, she’s something of an expert. This school year, Demi earned a master oyster gardener certificate after completing a free course run by the Mississippi Oyster Gardening Program (MOGP).

Mississippi’s coastal waters were once full of oysters, but decades of oil spills, hurricanes, and overharvesting caused a dramatic decline. To reverse this, MOGP recruits volunteers to grow oysters. Demi, along with her mom, manages nine cages at Biloxi Bay’s Schooner Pier. Every week, she pulls the cages from the water, one by one. She shakes each cage to remove algae and caked-on mud, then checks for predators (捕食者). Sometimes, she takes her oysters out for inspection. By spring, these oysters will be large enough to transplant to reefs in the Mississippi Sound, where they’ll strengthen ecosystems.

Demi’s efforts have raised over 1,500 oysters. Her passion even caught National Geographic’s attention — last year, she won a $1,000 award for her conservation work and selflessly donated all of it to MOGP. “Her generosity helped us buy tools and baby oysters,” says MOGP leader P.J. Waters.

Through her work, she’s not just rebuilding reefs but proving that teenagers can drive real change. “It’s great to be able to do something that benefits the environment,” she says. “It’s a really good feeling.”