Oyster King Helps Clean the Bay

Earth Day has come and gone but the environment still needs all the help it can get. Many people know about basic ways of helping the environment, such as conserving electricity and water, but there are options that are a little more out there. One such option is offered by Pasadena environmental organization Oyster King 1, Inc.

"We're the only people that grow oysters to clean the bay and not just to eat," said Oyster King founder Andrew Murdza.

Launched in 2005, Oyster King provides oyster "hotels," essentially small cages that serve as oyster habitats, to homeowners that live on the water. The hotels contain roughly one thousand baby oysters, or spats. The young oysters grow to adulthood in several months. As they grow, they feed on undesirable elements in the water, filtering them out and purifying the surrounding water. The "hotels" contain barley grass which helps keep the oysters' internal organs clean as well.

While the hotels do carry a price, Murdza said that it was entirely tax-deductible.

"The oysters feed on anything that's undesirable in the water," said Murdza. "They clean about 55 gallons of water per day. They help filter out elements in the water that are toxic to us, but not to the animals - they can digest and purify it."

Oyster King currently works with around 500 piers on the Chesapeake Bay, including some owned by Constellation Energy. Murdza said he hopes that purification efforts will eventually restore the bay to a state where its ecosystem is able to cleanse the bay without human assistance.

"I was sitting in a wheelchair when I dreamed this up four years ago," said Murdza. "I'd lived on the bay for over 40 years. When I found out what oysters can do, I thought I was a fool for not doing something more than taking fish out of the bay. At that point in time I dedicated myself to helping the bay."

Murdza plans on taking Oyster King abroad as well, including beginning efforts to help stabilize the Black Sea.

"My plans for the future are to get as many of these out as we can in the byways and water," said Murdza. "Our business is cleaning water. The oyster doesn't volunteer to be on someone's plate - they're not jumping out to be food, they want to stay in the water for the rest of their life and keep it clean."