There is a clear opportunity for the development of an oyster recycling program in Maine as the aquaculture industry is expanding rapidly, and the importance of environmental sustainability and circular economies grows. Every state on the eastern seaboard has an oyster shell recycling program in place except Maine. Portland, ME has become a foodie destination for tourist with a focus on local seafood. Currently all the waste from oysters in Portland is either composted or thrown in the trash. All current oyster shell recycling programs on the east coast use the shell to create new habitat for wild oysters. With the waters of Maine being too cold for a natural oyster spawn a different purpose must be developed including the use in buffering ocean acidification.
A two-year pilot project funded by the EPA's Climate Ready Estuaries program has been developed to investigate the potential for an oyster shell collection program in the state of Maine using a small-scale demonstration in Portland, ME. The goals of the project are to develop a collection plan with restaurants in Portland, investigate potential uses for the shell, run an experiment testing the use of oyster shell as a buffer for ocean acidification, and create an opportunity for local youth engagement. The project is being conducted by the Maine Coastal Program in collaboration with the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership and began in the Fall of 2018.
After conducting stakeholder meetings with government agencies, restaurants, waste disposal companies, and interested community members an oyster shell collection program began in June of 2019. From the start of collection until September 2019 there has been over 30 cubic yards of shell diverted from composting and landfills. The shell needs to cure for 12 months in order to remove the possibility of the transfer of pathogens. During this time a variety of uses for the shell will be investigated.
Since the collection of shell began there has been a great deal of interest from a variety of stakeholder groups including the aquaculture industry, environmental non-profits, and local community members. There have been preliminary studies to test the effects of using crushed shell as a buffering agent in shellfish hatcheries. Also, living shoreline trails are being conducted to develop the best designs for northern areas such as Maine. The results of these tests have not been published yet, but the importance of a robust oyster shell collection program is clear. With successful determination of the uses of oyster shell in Maine an oyster shell collection program can contribute greatly to a sustainable future for shellfish consumption.