Test Your Oyster IQ

1. Around the world, which marine habitat is the most endangered?

a. Kelp forests

b. Shellfish reefs

c. Coral reefs

d. Mangroves

2. Hong Kong protects 40% of country park areas on land. Does Hong Kong have any marine protected areas—YES or NO?

3. Oysters and the reefs they form can:

a. Clean water and improve water quality

b. Protect coasts from erosion

c. Provide protection from storms and rising tides

d. Sustain local communities with protein sources and livelihoods

e. All of the above

4. An oyster reef about the size of a football field provides habitat for:

a. Enough fish and seafood to feed 8 HK people for a year

b. Enough fish and seafood to feed 14 HK people for a year

c. Enough fish and seafood to feed 42 HK people for a year

5. True or False: One oyster can clean a whole bathtub of water, every day.

6. Some oysters:

a. Change their gender once or more throughout their lives

b. Can live 100 years

c. Can cure hangovers

7. The famously romantic Italian, Casanova, credited his strong libido to eating 50 oysters for breakfast every morning. Do oysters really improve sex drive?

8. Which of the following is responsible for destroying many of Hong Kong’s native oyster reefs?

a. Coastal reclamation

b. Pollution

c. Overharvesting

d. Commercial dredging

e. All of the above

1. B

2. YES—HK protects 2% of its marine area

3. E

4. C

5. TRUE

6. A

7. Sorry, there is no scientific evidence to support this being true.

8. E