I'm not convinced that the water on the left is any less good for growing things than the water with the oysters... but it's a great demonstration of what filter feeders do for an ecosystem.

Yes, and there are more filter feeders in the water, like catfish, right?

Catfish are not filter feeders exactly... they are BOTTOM feeders. They root around in the mud for, um, scraps. Then the mud is squished out through their gills.

Well... not to brag but... flatfish are flat for a reason!

Thank you for the clarification. 

I looked it up and catfish are neither filter fish nor forage fish...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filter_feeder

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forage_fish

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catfish

...but catfish ARE considered bottom feeders. See Geege's quote below.

"I'll take your word that it looks good."

Joyce's image makes me less inclined to order the fried oyster po' boy.

Or anything with catfish in it!

...or anything with lobster in it? What else is a bottom feeder?

Shrimp, crab, all the delicious crustaceans.

A bottom feeder is usually an aquatic animal that feeds on or near the bottom of a body of water. The body of water could be the ocean, a lake, a river, or an aquarium. Bottom feeder is a general term which is used particularly in the context of aquariums. Biologists often use the term benthos, particularly for invertebrates such as shellfish, crabs, crayfish, sea anemones, starfish, snails, bristleworms and sea cucumbers. However the term benthos includes all aquatic life that lives on or near the bottom, which means it also includes non-animals, such as plants and algae.

And many delicious fishes.

Biologists also use specific terms that refer to bottom feeding fish, such as demersal fish, groundfish, benthic fish and benthopelagic fish. Examples of bottom feeding fish species groups are flatfish (halibut, flounder, plaice, sole), eels, cod, haddock, bass, grouper, carp, bream (snapper) and some species of catfish and shark.

Says here HF is a bottom feeder.

Perhaps they are delicious BECAUSE there's good stuff to eat at the bottom?

Could be!

Even sturgeon are bottom-feeders!  Caviar is the product of a bottom feeder!

And what do we call those who feed on bottom feeders? Bottom feeders too?

I get it but there must be a better word...

Bottom Feeder Eater?

:-)

Only slightly better than "necrophiliac".

There are no minions laughing to that word. ☺️