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Oyster shell recycling program collects 2,000 bushels for Inland Bays restoration

October 19, 2016

Some 18 local restaurants and their oyster-eating patrons helped the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays collect over 2,000 bushels of oyster shells this season, surpassing its 2016 goal. Don’t Chuck Your Shucks, a shell-recycling program, is a partnership between the center, the Nature Conservancy and local restaurants, and part of a larger effort to restore oysters to the Inland Bays.

“We joined the program because of its benefits to the Inland Bays,” said Henlopen City Oyster House owner Chris Bisaha. “We also generate less trash now. From that standpoint, it’s a big help to us.”

While the benefits of live oysters to improve water quality are well-known, the oyster shells are also a highly valuable resource. The shell will be used in a variety of projects, including living shorelines and the center’s oyster gardening program.

“We are grateful for the participation of so many incredible local restaurants and for the customers that frequent them,” says CIB Program Coordinator Bob Collins. “The more oysters that are ordered, the more we can do to protect and restore our bays!”

Participating restaurants include 99 Sea Level, Bethany Oyster House, Bluecoast Seafood Grill, Catch 54, Chesapeake and Maine, Claddagh On The Shore, George and Sons Seafood Market, Hammerheads Dockside, Henlopen City Oyster House, Hooked Ocean City, Hooked Up Ale House and Raw Bar, Irish Eyes Pub and Restaurant, Just Hooked, The Lobster Shanty, Off the Hook, Smitty McGee's Raw Bar & Restaurant, Starboard Raw and Zoggs Raw Bar and Grill.

The Delaware Center for the Inland Bays is a nonprofit organization established in 1994 and is one of 28 national estuary programs. With its many partners, the center works to preserve, protect and restore Delaware’s Inland Bays, the water that flows into them and the watershed around them. For more information, call Sally Boswell at 302-226-8105, email outreach@inlandbays.org or go to www.inlandbays.org.

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