"SAN FRANCISCO -- A Bay Area oyster cannery in an estuary slated to become a federal wilderness area is at the heart of a battle pitting proponents of fishing and local food production against environmental advocates.

Both sides are claiming victory after a National Academies of Science (NAS) panel released a report this week finding the federal government lacked scientific evidence to back assertions that the Drakes Bay Oyster Co. is harming the Marin County estuary.

At issue is California's last oyster cannery, which has continued operations under a provision in the 1962 law that established the Point Reyes National Seashore. When the 1.5-acre oyster farm closes, the estuary, Drakes Estero, will become a 2,250-acre federal wilderness under the 1976 Point Reyes Wilderness Act."

Debra Kahn reports for Greenwire in the New York Times May 7, 2009.