The tiny Olympia oyster is the only oyster native to Puget Sound.  Prized for their unique flavor, they were once common and of commercial importance.  They were seriously depleted in the 1950's, in southern Puget Sound due to water pollution, but have since begun making a comeback.  Recent enhancement efforts to re-establish the Olympia oyster in Hood Canal and other areas have shown some promise.  They can reach three inches in length and are relatively flat in comparison to Pacific oysters.  Olympia oysters usually inhabit low intertidal areas or small tidal channels where the oysters are covered in water at low tide.

Pacific Oyster  (Crassostrea gigas)

      A) Hard gravel shell.

      B) Soft ground shell.

      C) Crowded on muddy 
           ground  shell.

The Pacific oyster is the principle oyster harvested commercially and recreationally in the Pacific Northwest.  They have fluted irregular ridges and can grow up to 10 inches in length.  Most recreational harvest occurs in Hood Canal.  Oysters may become soft and milky during the late summer spawning season.