Seafood consumption dates back over 150,000 years to the hunter-gatherer period of prehistoric times. Rich in trace elements, iodine, magnesium, and vitamin B12, seafood must, like all products of animal origin, be eaten fresh and stored in compliance with various hygiene standards. In France, the consumption of shellfish and, in particular, oysters, as well as that of purple sea urchins, is traditionally reserved for the months in R (from September to April) only. The ban on the fishing, peddling, and sale of oysters from May 1 to November 1 dates back to a royal edict of 1759, at a time when cold storage did not exist and transport was slow. It remains relevant for purple sea urchins, whose reproduction period it helps to preserve.