Jim Aguiar works at his oyster farming operation in the picturesque, isolated waters of Prince William Sound, off Cordova, Alaska. His oysters are shipped off fresh by plane once they reach harbor. (Rick Loomis / LAT)
In 2004, warmer waters contaminated some of the oysters caught in Alaska with vibrio parahaemolyticus, which in turn sickened several passengers on a cruise ship. (Rick Loomis / LAT)
Aguiar hands off a load of oysters from his operation. (Rick Loomis / LAT)
Incremental temperature changes have begun to redraw the distribution of bacteria, insects and plants, exposing new populations to diseases that they have never seen before. (Rick Loomis / LAT)
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Aguiar, 46, has worked as a fisherman and more recently as an oyster farmer in the Alaskan waters for the past 25 years. (Rick Loomis / LAT)
Aguiar walks over a haul of oysters he brought on deck, before processing and selling in Cordova. (Rick Loomis / LAT)
