Program Recycles Restaurant Oyster Shells For Marine Habitat

ISLIP, NY —What happens to all those used oyster shells Long Islanders leave behind at restaurants and festivals? Oyster shells provide crucial habitat for young oysters and help keep calcium levels healthy in marine ecosystems. So Islip's Seatuck Environmental Association came up with a plan in 2018 to recycle the shells and return them to the environment.

Half Shells for Habitat has collected 90,000 pounds of shells from restaurants and outdoor oyster fests across Long Island to date. This summer, Seatuck is hosting Shellapaloosa! to draw attention to the effort.

The weekend of celebrating oyster shells, both off and on the plate, starts on August 5, National Oyster Day. A Zoom webinar will tell the story of the program and anyone who views it will be eligible for a 15% discount on oysters at The Snapper Inn, The Fish Store, Blue Point Brew Pub, JT's on the Bay and The Cull House.

The shells that are collected are cleaned and cured by volunteers and eventually returned to living oyster reef restoration projects in the Great South Bay, Moriches Bay and Shinnecock Bay.