We can help protect vulnerable oysters using trash. Oysters aren’t just good for a happy hour snack, they’re also a really important part of ocean ecosystems and could play a huge role in fixing the climate crisis to capture carbon in their shells and naturally filter the water where they live and their reefs protect coastlines against erosion.
However, right now oysters are suffering as climate change makes oceans more acidic, making it harder for oysters to grow shells and resulting in their populations collapsing.
That’s why some people are trying to save them by throwing empty oyster shells from restaurants into bays and rivers as surrogate homes for oyster larvae. Organizations like the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and New York civilian oyster project are using those discarded shells to help the oysters recover.
By supporting these projects or your local sustainable oyster farmers, you can help the oysters bounce back too!