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May 27, 2010: These oyster shell reefs were built about 15 months ago in August 2008. They are located on the Intracoastal Waterway outside the entrance to the Forest Sound Marina in Hampstead, North Carolina.
The Case for Recycling Oyster Shells
About the first of June our amazing Eastern Oysters begin
their reproductive cycle which will continue all summer. The
female oysters release their eggs into the water and the
males release their sperm. These two cell types float freely
in the water seeking a match. Once the match is made the
combined cells form the beginning of oyster spat. They have
been doing this for thousands of years and know exactly how
to do it.
Our coastal Pender County waters have sufficient wild,
sexually mature oysters that we are considered to be "spat
rich" waters. At any time during this reproduction season,
we must have hundreds of millions of tiny oyster spat
swimming in our waters.
These free swimming spat need to attach to something hard
within a few days to continue their development. Even though
they have no recognizable head, legs, eyes, mouth, skin
hands or arms, they know exactly what they need. If the spat
does not find a suitable hard surface for attachment, these
homeless creatures will settle to the bottom and die. The
very best surface to host the baby spat is none other than a
relatively clean oyster shell. This could be the outside of
a live shell or both sides of an open, "dead" shell. A
single, quality shell could be the host for several baby
spat.
When we remove oysters from our Pender County waters for
consumption, we eliminate this host for the next generation
of our great mollusks. Mud or even sand on the bottom is not
a satisfactory host for these baby spat. Also, if the dead
oyster shells are buried or covered with silt, they will not
be reached by the swimming spat.
Now comes our opportunity, if not our obligation, to support
these wonderful bivalves. We need to return the shells from
our oyster roasts and oyster bars to our Pender County
waters. Certainly our oyster and clam shells should not go
into mud puddles, driveways or into dumpsters destined for
land fills. We need to make a modest effort to get them
recycled into our coastal waters.
PenderWatch & Conservancy is very active in shell recycling
by placing recycling bins and educating citizens about the
need for recycling and taking care of water quality. We need
your help on all fronts!
Shell Recycling Locations |
