Hawkins paces out just one square foot of foreshore and picks up Victorian plate, modern glass, oyster shell, medieval roof tile, granite ballast from merchant ships and clay pipe stems.

BBC: London from the tide line

Having found one, it grows into a spat, which when seen beneath a microscope already resembles a tiny oyster, with the shape of a shell already visible.

ECONOMIST: A dozen ocean-cleaners and a pint of Guinness, please

Waggish lyrics "Though the world is my oyster, it's only a shell full of memories" or "Divine intervention, always my intention so I take my time" are hallmarks of past Ferry songs.

NPR: First Listen: Bryan Ferry, 'Olympia'

Schneider scrunches up his nose, a large oyster that has another smaller and deformed relative attached to its curved upper shell has caught his attention.

FORBES: Oysters Are Back In New York City Waters

Kneeling close, you could see how deceptively alive the shell-y mud was: It harbored whole scuttling ecologies of oyster-drill snails, tiny shrimp and crabs, and floating egg cases.

FORBES: The American Oyster Paradise