Partnership Expands Oyster Shell Recycling from San Antonio to the South Texas Coast
Groundbreaking Partnership Expands Oyster Shell
Recycling from San Antonio to the South Texas Coast
CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS — From San Antonio tables to South Texas bays. Oyster shells from San Antonio are getting a second life on the Texas coast through a first-of-its-kind partnership between the Sink Your Shucks™ Oyster Shell Recycling Program at Harte Research Institute and the South Texas Coastal Initiative (STCI).
The partnership expands oyster shell recycling and recovery beyond the Coastal Bend, creating a pathway to collect discarded oyster shells from participating San Antonio restaurants and transport them back to the coast, where they can be used in future oyster reef restoration efforts.
“This partnership shows that you don’t have to live on the coast to have an impact on it,” said Stephanie Tierce, Program Coordinator for Sink Your Shucks. “An oyster enjoyed at a restaurant in San Antonio can ultimately become part of the habitat that supports the next generation of oysters in our Texas bays. It’s a true bay-to-table and back-to-bay cycle.”
Collection is already underway at Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery, Brasserie Mon Chou Chou, Pullman Market, and Little Em’s Oyster Bar, giving shells from oysters enjoyed in San Antonio the opportunity to return to Texas bays rather than enter the landfill. More than 5,500 pounds of shells have already been collected by their partner, Mission Compost, and transported south to Sink Your Shucks, a program of the Harte Research Institute at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, where they will enter the program's established recycling and restoration process.
"Partnering with the South Texas Coastal Initiative and Sink Your Shucks allows us to complete the cycle for every oyster we serve. Knowing our shells return to the Texas coast to rebuild vital reefs and protect our waters reflects Southerleigh’s true commitment to sustainability. Our goal is to holistically support Texas oyster farms, educate our staff and guests on the delicacy and diversity of Texas oysters, and ensure our shells actively rebuild the regenerative ecosystem.” said Aaron Juvera, Chef de Cuisine, Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery.
Oyster shell is a valuable natural resource. Once returned to the water, recycled shell provides hard substrate where baby oysters, known as spat, can attach and grow. As oyster reefs develop, they provide habitat for shrimp, crabs, and other marine life, contribute to improved water quality and support healthier coastal ecosystems.
The public will have an opportunity to see that restoration cycle in action on Saturday, October 3, when Sink Your Shucks hosts its first fall Community Oyster Reef Restoration Event at Goose Island State Park. Volunteers will help prepare recycled oyster shell for placement back into Texas bays, turning a resource once destined for the landfill into habitat for future generations of oysters and other marine life.
“The South Texas Coastal Initiative Board of Directors are all coastal enthusiasts, having grown up on the coast and seen firsthand the devastation of our oyster reefs and the degradation of the ecosystem as a result. Partnering with Sink Your Shucks is a fantastic opportunity to expand the incredible work they are doing by providing additional shell for their restoration activities.” said Ernest Brown of South Texas Coastal Initiative.
Through the partnership, participating San Antonio restaurants now have a way to divert oyster shell from the waste stream while contributing directly to restoration efforts more than 100 miles away.
San Antonio restaurants interested in participating in the oyster shell recycling program can
contact Eric Duxstad at Eric@Ejdcomp.com for more information.