Oyster shells are key building blocks for the beds and shell is at times in short supply. In 2019, over 31 million oysters were harvested in Connecticut (CT Department of Agriculture). The vast majority of the oysters are sold for the half shell market, with little of that shell ever reclaimed as the state lacks a formal shell recycling program. The food service sector and the seafood consuming public lack a mechanism and economic incentives to reclaim the shell, divert it from landfills and return it to the beds where it is crucially needed to enhance recruitment, maintain ecosystem function and support commercial shellfish production. However, state agriculture officials have recognized shellfish restoration and shell recycling as a priority . In July 2021, Governor Ned Lamont signed Public Act 21-24, "An Act Concerning Connecticut’s Shellfish Restoration Program, the Connecticut Seafood Council and the Taxation of Certain Underwater Farmlands.” This law expands the Department of Agriculture’s Shellfish Fund Program to allow the purchase of oyster shells, mature oysters and other materials, as well as contracting the use of vessels to conduct restoration work. In addition, the Department can receive private, state, or federal grants or direct funding to conduct shell recycling and shellfish restoration programs.
Capitalizing on this opportunity, we are exploring cost-effective means to recover and recycle shell, and to increase the quantity of this important substrate returned to the water.