Crabs often snatch the spotlight when it comes to the creatures associated with the Chesapeake Bay, but this week, it’s the oyster that’s the star of the underwater universe.
National Oyster Week is being celebrated throughout the region this week until Sunday, Aug. 6, with an emphasis on — among other things — the oyster’s impact on the region’s cultural heritage and its economic impact.
Ward Slacum, executive director of the Oyster Recovery Partnership nonprofit, said before oysters end up on the menu of local restaurants, they function as filters in the Chesapeake Bay, removing nutrients from the water.
While it might sound like a contradiction, Slacum said people who enjoy dining on oysters can actually help restore the population to the Bay by recycling oyster shells.
“Not putting that oyster shell in a landfill, and finding a way to get that oyster shell back into the Bay, is a direct way for them to enjoy consuming oysters and then also to maintaining that oyster population in our bay,” Slacum said.
Several restaurants throughout the region are participating in the oceanic holiday with deals and special menus. At the end of the week, they will be recycling all the empty shells.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation website explains that oyster shells are cleaned and “cured” then placed in water tanks with oyster larvae. Those larvae attach to the shells, and when ready, the baby oysters, called “spat,” are planted in rivers and the Chesapeake Bay.
Learn more about where you can recycle oyster shells on the foundation’s website.
