An Oyster Shell Recycling & Research Program

The California oyster farmer’s job is to grow an oyster big enough to eat from a microscopic oyster seed. Cultivation begins in the farm’s hatchery and proceeds through the farm’s specialized nursery growing system; once big enough the oyster babies, each attached to their own tiny bit of shell, are then put out into the clean waters of Tomales Bay to grow until table ready. Oyster farms on Tomales Bay grow a number of varieties of Pacific oysters, Crassostrea gigas, because they grow fast and reliably, and taste delicious. The original Pacific oysters were brought over from Japan in the early 20th century and thrived in the cold waters on this side of the Pacific. They are much bigger and grow much faster than the native Olympia oysters, Ostrea lurida, of this coast.

Olympia oysters—nicknamed Olys (Oh’lees)—are the small, native oysters of the Bay region. Native oyster beds create important habitat for other organisms, increasing biodiversity and the overall health of the estuary—they are an important player in the Bay’s overall ecology! But they grow slowly and keep a low profile. Olys were harvested to virtual extinction during the Gold Rush, and the degradation of San Francisco Bay in the 20th century ensured their demise. But they are there, and a growing effort to bring them back is building momentum. Olys need hard surfaces, and particularly like other shells, to grow on. The shells of the oysters you enjoy in restaurants around the Bay Area can be that home; they can be part of a Living Shorelines project that puts bags of Pacific oyster shells into the Bay to reduce wave energy and shoreline erosion as sea levels rise, while creating habitat for Olympia oysters, young salmon and herring, baby crabs and more, attracting birds and making our Bay a healthier place.