Chase Smith

Mrs. Hensel
English IV
November 20, 2015

The Benefits of Recycling Oyster Shells

Do an experiment. Fill two buckets with ocean water. Place an oyster in one
of the buckets. Leave for two hours. When you return, you will see that the water
where the oyster is has become much more clean than the bucket of water without
the oyster. Oysters can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day. Oysters are needed
to keep the ocean clean. Oysters also provide a natural habitat for many species of
wildlife. Their reef prevent erosion.
The Department of Natural Resources of South Carolina, runs a program in
Murrells Inlet, SC to build oyster reefs each year. With the help of volunteers, They
load a boat with the old shells and take them to a place determined by DNR in the
inlet. They add the shells to beds that have been created in the last two years by
DNR. Volunteers say they give their time and hard work to repay the environment
for the oysters that clean the inlet, keeping it safe and giving the fish a way to
thrive.(Rodrigues)
In Louisiana, The Coalition to Restore Costal Louisiana, has started an oyster
shell recycling program.

The program collects shells from restaurants to restore

reefs. The program has been funded by Shell Corporation with one million dollars.
In Louisiana, more shell is removed from Louisianas coast than is returned. This

program hopes to change that trend so that the oysters will be there to protect our
coast.(Burley)
Now that this program is in operation, reefs are being built. The shells from a
dozen restaurants in New Orleans were once taken to the landfill.But now the shells
are put in bins outside the restaurant, and the program picks them up five days a
week taking to a curing site.

The cost is paid by the money donated by Shell

Corporation. So far this program has built 4.5 miles of reef shoreline.(Wold)
So this is why Rodriguez, Jason M. Oyster recycling, reef building gives back
to environment in Horry, Georgetown
Counties. Sun News. The (Myrtle Beach), SC) 30 July 2015. Points of View
Reference Center.
Web 22 Oct. 2015.
we need to stop fishing and oystering so much because oysters are so much
more to us than just food. Oysters protect our shorelines, filter our water, and keep
so many fish alive and reproducing. More people need to get involved and protect
oysters so that we will always have them.
Works Cited
Burley, Taylor. Oyster shells Recycled. New Orleans Magazine 48.11 (2014):30.
MasterFILE Premeir.
Web 26 Oct. 2015.
Rodriguez, Jason M. Oyster recycling, reef building gives back to environment in
Horry, Georgetown

Counties. Sun News. The (Myrtle Beach), SC) 30 July 2015. Points of View
Reference Center.
Web 22 Oct. 2015.

Wold, Amy. The Advocate. Shell Project Providing Material for Oyster Reef.
Aeizona State Report.
Louisiana (2015: Points of view Reference Center. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.