Shellfish

Shellfish, in colloquial and fisheries usage, are exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms.

Molluscs used as a food source by humans include many species of clams, mussels, oysters, winkles, and scallops.

[4] Echinoderms are not as frequently harvested for food as molluscs and crustaceans; however, sea urchin gonads are quite popular in many parts of the world, where the live delicacy is harder to transport.

For regulatory purposes it is often narrowly defined as filter-feeding molluscs such as clams, mussels, and oyster to the exclusion of crustaceans and all else.

Both sushi and sashimi are served with soy sauce and wasabi paste (a Japanese horseradish root, a spice with extremely strong, hot flavor), thinly sliced pickled ginger root, and a simple garnish such as shiso (a kitchen herb, member of the mint family) or finely shredded daikon radish, or both.

Lobster in particular is a great delicacy in the United States, where families in the Northeast region make them into the centerpiece of a clam bake, usually for special occasions.

A typical meal involves boiling the lobster with some slight seasoning and then serving it with drawn butter, baked potato, and corn on the cob.

[9] In many major cities with active fishing ports, raw oyster bars are also a feature of shellfish consumption.

[14][15][16] Approximately 1% of the population is estimated to suffer from shellfish allergy,[17] which is more common in teenage and adult life than very early childhood.

[22] PSP is caused by toxins, namely saxitoxin, released by dinoflagellates, a type of protista (also considered algae), which are extremely poisonous (1000 times more potent than cyanide) and can lead to death by paralyzing the breathing muscles.

Reefs provide habitat for numerous other species, bury carbon, contributing to climate change mitigation,[24] and defend the shore against erosion, floods and waves.

[25][26] Conversely, when they are destroyed or exploited, carbon can be released into the atmosphere, simultaneously increasing the likelihood of severe weather while removing the natural defence against its consequences.