Volunteers form a supply chain and clean and dried oyster shells into bay waters to form new marine habitats. Sink Your Shucks holds volunteers events each spring in the Coastal Bend as part of a program run by Harte Research Institute at Texas A&M University. Courtesy photo.
One million pounds of oyster shells have been collected for recycling as part of a reef rebuilding program managed by the Harte Research Institute at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. The occasion of the one millionth pound was commemorated with the dedication of a new trailer donated by Groomer’s Seafood. The new wheels replace a truck that was stolen last year.
“We're thrilled to have reached the 1-million pound mark," said Gail Sutton, HRI chief operating officer and Sink Your Shucks organizer. “This recycling program works because it's simple and you get results quickly. Just eat the oyster, haul the shell, put it in the water and wait for new oysters to grow and thrive – then repeat.”
The first program of its kind in Texas, Sink Your Shucks was founded in 2009 by Dr. Jennifer Pollack, assistant professor at A&M-Corpus Christi, along with Dr. Paul Montagna, HRI’s endowed chair for ecosystems and modeling. Reclaimed oyster shells from restaurants are gathered, dried and then returned to local waters to form new reefs for underwater habitats.
Business partners including Water Street Market and Groomer’s Seafood provide the shells, while volunteers provide the muscle in loading up and dumping shells in well-chosen areas. Volunteers have helped restore about 14 acres of oyster reef in Copano and Aransas bays since the program’s inception.
“The program started off with a very selfish motivation,” said Brad Lomax, president and CEO of Water Street Market, a restaurant and attraction conglomerate and one of the program’s founding partners. “I was throwing away 75 tons of oyster shell a year, and I thought there had to be something we could do with this. For me, as a seafood operator, it’s the perfect program. It’s taking the waste of a product we use every day to continue the life cycle of the product itself.”
Sink your Shucks was a perfect fit for Groomer’s Seafood and the company’s desire to invest in sustainability projects.
“Oysters are the backbones of our bay system,” company president Rick Groomer said. “It’s what keeps it clean. It’s what supports the fish population. We’ve done a million pounds of shell now, and it can only get better from here.”
Worldwide, oyster reefs have experienced greater losses than any other marine habitat. A necessary part of the environment, they provide important habitats for fisheries by filtering water and preventing coastal erosion. Oyster reefs act as buffers from storm surges and waves that can eat away at marshes, sandy beaches and coastal developments.
Sink Your Shucks usually holds two regionwide volunteer events each spring. The 2016 events were April 2 and May 7 at Goose Island State Park. For volunteer opportunities, check out the website at oysterrecycling.org.
