02488cam a22003373u 450000100060000000300070000600500170001300600020003000700050003200800410003704000110007804100170008905000070010610000490011324500220016226400510018430000470023533600260028233700260030833800360033449000520037050000310042250801400045352013500059353400450194365300200198870000300200883000520203885600430209099900170213332124UtSlPG20260610133731.0mcr n260607r2010||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d  aUtSlPG 7aen2iso639-1 4aPS1 aBone, Jesse F.q(Jesse Franklin),d1916-200610aTo Choke an Ocean 1aSalt Lake City, UT :bProject Gutenberg,c2010  a1 online resource :bmultiple file formats  atextbtxt2rdacontent  acomputerbc2rdamedia  aonline resourcebcr2rdacarrier1 aProduced from the September, 1960, issue of If.  aRelease date is 2010-04-24  aE-text prepared by Robert Cicconetti, Mary Meehan, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net)  a"To Choke an Ocean" by J. F. Bone is a science fiction story likely written in the early 1960s. The book narrates the interstellar challenges faced by the Terran Confederation and its interactions with the native inhabitants of the planet Niobe, focusing on the consequences of introducing an alien species—oysters—into a new ecosystem. The title suggests themes related to environmental balance and the unintended repercussions of human actions.  The plot centers around Lanceford, a consular official who recounts the events leading to Niobe's entry into the Confederation. Initially a celebratory banquet, where oysters were introduced to the dish repertoire of the Niobians, it turns into a calamity as the oysters breed uncontrollably, threatening to destabilize the local marine ecosystem. With the help of biologist Heinz Bergdorf, they discover that the oyster infestation could lead to ecological disaster, prompting urgent measures. As the Niobians establish a blockade in response to protect their world, an improbable government emerges, emphasizing the need for environmental safeguards against foreign biological threats. The story culminates in a humorous take on bureaucracy, as the newly formed customs agency ironically reflects the very systems that once put them in jeopardy. (This is an automatically generated summary.)  nOriginal publication data not identified  aScience fiction1 aWood, Wallace,d1927-1981 0aProduced from the September, 1960, issue of If.40uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/32124  c72970d72970