The COVID-19 pandemic had an unprecedented impact on economies around the world and severely disrupted food supply chains. Relying heavily on sales to restaurants, New Jersey oyster farmers were particularly hard hit, reporting lost sales exceeding 90% in the second quarter of 2020. Farmers were forced to pivot to direct sale opportunities. In addition to the direct loss of revenues, the lost sales led to crop management challenges as oysters destined for spring markets remained on farms, out growing premium market size, taking up limited farm space and precluding gear cycling. While no longer suitable for prime markets, the large oysters were ideal for habitat restoration purposes. A program was developed to purchase these unsold oysters for habitat restoration. Seventy-six thousand farm raised oysters were purchased and planted on four New Jersey oyster enhancement areas in fall 2020 and a model shellfish exchange program fostering the direct planting of farm-raised oysters was developed. The model shellfish exchange program paved the way for subsequent restoration efforts employing farm-raised oysters and provided ecological and economic uplift. A secondary project objective was the development of a directory of New Jersey shellfish farms designed to connect consumers to New Jersey shellfish farms and their products and educate them about the methods and benefits of shellfish aquaculture. Both efforts supported market diversification of shellfish farm businesses, not only better enabling farms to weather the COVID-19 “storm”, but also creating a path supporting long-term resilience and sustainability of New Jersey’s shellfish aquaculture sector.