Sink Your Shucks Oyster Recycling Program - Restaurant Partner Information

Habitat It's Forming

Oysters are an important ecological and economic resource. They create habitat for fish and shellfish, filter and clean bay waters, protect shorelines from erosion, and are a valued commercial

Founded in 2009, the Sink Your Shucks™ program has placed over three million pounds of reclaimed oyster shell back into Texas bays, and created 45 acres of new oyster reefs. Over 2,000 volunteers have participated in our bagging events, playing a direct hands-on role to save Texas oysters.

Oyster FAST FACTS

One oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water a day, helping to clean our bays and estuaries.

In Texas oysters can grow to Market size (3 inches) in 18 months, and can be eaten year round.

Why We Sink

Texas oysters spawn from spring through fall. Oyster larvae are free-swimming and have no shell for about three weeks. They then must find a suitable hard surface to settle on and begin building their shells.

Oysters prefer to settle on the shells of other oysters. However, as reefs are harvested, this preferred substrate is also removed, therefore reducing the ability of reefs to recover.

Our shell recycling program reclaims oyster shells from partner restaurants and seafood wholesalers so that they can be returned to the bays through reef restoration projects.

Oyster RECYCLING PROCESS

Shells are picked up from restaurants and taken to a Shell Bank

Shells are sanitized and placed in quarantine for six months in preparation for restoration

Clean Oysters Are Used In Two Ways: After oysters are consumed, the shucked shell is temporarily stored for transport

Mature oysters are harvested from reefs and sold to restaurants

Restored reefs create essential habitat for juvenile oysters and many other organisms like crabs, fish and shrimp

Shell is used for community bagging events to create living shorelines

Shell is also used to restore oyster reefs in deeper water

Larval oysters attach and grow on the recycled shell to build new reefs

Shuck Eat

Oysters are commercially harvested in Texas from November through April. The majority are sold to restaurants and seafood wholesalers.

Shucked shells from partner restaurants are separated from the trash and stockpiled throughout the year.

Recycle Repeat

Each spring, the recycled shell is bagged and returned to bay waters to restore degraded oyster reefs.

By increasing partnerships with Texas restaurants, more shell can be kept from landfills and used for even greater reef restoration efforts.

Frequently Asked Questions

WHY SHOULD MY BUSINESS PARTICIPATE?

Environmental Impact: By recycling oyster shells, your restaurant can significantly reduce the volume and

Support for Local Fisheries: Shell recycling directly contributes to the sustainability of local oyster fisheries, indirectly benefiting the availability and quality of locally-sourced seafood.

WHAT IS THE