If there’s anything Tampa Bay residents love to indulge in, it’s good food and our beautiful oceanfront environment. That’s why the new Tampa Bay Watch program Shells for Shorelines is already making big waves in our community. By recycling oyster shells from local restaurants and using them to promote biodiversity by distributing them throughout the Tampa Bay estuary, Shells for Shorelines is revitalizing our marine ecosystem as a whole.
Something to Shell-ebrate
Oysters are special beyond their deliciousness on the table. Oyster reefs are essential to their habitats by providing sanctuaries for a myriad of estuarine species, as well as naturally mitigating coastal erosion – a very real threat to waterfront communities. Oysters support larger marine life as a vital source of food and act as a highly effective filtration system for the water around them, promoting a cleaner environment for the health of aquatic vegetation and animals. Transforming discarded oyster shells into ecological tools and rejuvenating their reefs is invaluable for the bay’s entire ecosystem.
“The positive impact of strengthening our shorelines can’t be emphasized enough,” says Reagan Fennessy, oyster shell recycling program specialist. Fennessy has worked with large oyster populations in the past and learned quickly of the vital role they play within their ecosystems. “They’re a very unique little creature that serve a huge purpose and are so interconnected in their ecological systems. It has been so cool to open up people’s views of such a small creature and how important it is.” Repurposing used oyster shells that would otherwise end up in landfills into an incredible resource for our waters, is what St. Petersburg sustainability is all about.
Worth the Shuck
The Shells for Shorelines program is a great opportunity for local restaurants to make a difference in their community. As a completely free and non-invasive service that turns trash into treasure, participating restaurants simply dump their used oyster shells into a designated 5-gallon bucket, and dedicated program members come weekly to collect them. The buckets are provided by Tampa Bay Watch, and the shell collection runs occur on three weekly routes. Launching the program with 11 proud restaurant partners, including the Island Grille and the Oyster Bar, Shells for Shorelines is eager to gain more participants as the successes continue. Since the program’s pilot began in February 2022, over 102,000 pounds of oyster shells have been recycled into valuable environmental assets.
Tampa Bay Watch asks for your support of Shells for Shorelines by encouraging your favorite local restaurants to get involved with the program. Interested restaurants can reach out to program manager Rick Radigan to become a participating partner at [email protected].
The ’Burg is Your Oyster
Shells for Shorelines’ ultimate goal is to continue driving these initiatives forward and provide positive impacts for generations to come. The program is looking to add more volunteers for weekly collection runs and shell cleaning. Currently, the collection routes take over 100 miles of drive time for the team, and the participation of volunteers willing to conduct their own weekly mini-runs at partnering restaurants near them would help.
For those interested in volunteering, collection runs occur every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. All are welcome to train with the team on any of those days to join on ride-arounds and learn about the cleaning and curing process. For information, visit www.tampabaywatch.org/shells-for-shorelines.
