Why recycle oyster shell?
Oyster shell is a valuable ecological resource. Oyster reefs grow by continual accretion of shell as the oysters on the reef grow, and as new oysters settle onto the reef. Thus, the basic structural unit of the reef is oyster shell. Until recently, most of the shell from oysters that were taken from the estuary for human consumption was discarded on land. Historically, native Americans produced massive shell middens in some areas that essentially represented their waste piles from consumed oysters. We now know that returning the oyster shells to the estuary helps sustain wild oyster populations by providing hard substrate that the larvae can settle on. We also use recycled oyster shell in our remote setting process to produce oyster spat-on-shell used in most of our oyster restoration projects.
What you can do...
Our oyster shell recycling program consists of two components: a trailer with shell containers located at Adams Point where individuals may deposit their shell, and shell pick-up from local restaurants and markets by volunteers with the N.H. Coastal Conservation Association.
We would like to invite you to participate by donating your shell at an easily accessible site on Adams Point, Durham, NH (see map). The recycling location is at the top of the hill at the end of Adams Point Road, just as you go through the stone pillars. In the future, as the program grows, we hope to add additional sites on the other side of Great Bay.
At the recycling site, you will find a trailer with labeled bins where you can place your shell. Here is how it works:
Step 1: Identify the source of your shell (NH/Great Bay Wild Harvest, Restaurant, or Grocery or Seafood Market)
Step 2: Place oyster shell in appropriate container
Step 3: Latch the lid of the recycling container
The recycled shell is eventually brought to the N.H. Agricultural Experiment Station's (UNH), Kingman Farm where it is stored until it is used in restoration efforts throughout the Great Bay system.
We thank you for your effort and support with this project! UNH also picks up shell from Island Creek's oyster festival in Duxbury, MA each summer. We are collecting approximately 30 tons of oyster shell per year which has been used for restoration.
If you have any questions or comments regarding the shell recycling program, please contact Krystin Ward via email. If you are a restaurant or buisness and would like to schedule shell pick-up, please contact the NH Coastal Conservation Association (603) 770-3201
We would like to invite you to participate by donating your shell at an easily accessible site on Adams Point, Durham, NH (see map). The recycling location is at the top of the hill at the end of Adams Point Road, just as you go through the stone pillars. In the future, as the program grows, we hope to add additional sites on the other side of Great Bay.
At the recycling site, you will find a trailer with labeled bins where you can place your shell. Here is how it works:
Step 1: Identify the source of your shell (NH/Great Bay Wild Harvest, Restaurant, or Grocery or Seafood Market)
Step 2: Place oyster shell in appropriate container
Step 3: Latch the lid of the recycling container
The recycled shell is eventually brought to the N.H. Agricultural Experiment Station's (UNH), Kingman Farm where it is stored until it is used in restoration efforts throughout the Great Bay system.
We thank you for your effort and support with this project! UNH also picks up shell from Island Creek's oyster festival in Duxbury, MA each summer. We are collecting approximately 30 tons of oyster shell per year which has been used for restoration.
If you have any questions or comments regarding the shell recycling program, please contact Krystin Ward via email. If you are a restaurant or buisness and would like to schedule shell pick-up, please contact the NH Coastal Conservation Association (603) 770-3201
