How eating oysters could protect the coast

An exciting revelation has come to light in a city famed for its iconic seafood scene. Restaurants in New Orleans are recycling their oyster shells to be used to build sea walls.

At Dulse, we are committed to the sustainability and longevity of our planet, so we were blown away when we found out about this effort in a recent BBC article.

Oysters are served in abundance on the New Orleans food scene, but many restaurants throw away the shells after use. That is until now.

The once-discarded shells are now being used to defend some nearby coastal wetlands. The Louisiana wetlands are an essential ecosystem, but an area the size of a football field is being washed away every 100 minutes, leaving the region vulnerable to hurricanes and flooding due to factors such as canal and levee building and rising sea levels too.

a bowl of oysters served at Dulse Edinburgh

Kim Reyher from Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana notes, "with every hurricane season, we stand to lose. The land is slowly slipping into the water. The water is slowly rising, so we can't just sit here and expect to stay here without taking action."

To help with this, a group of New Orleans restaurants decided to get together and assist with the issue by recycling their oyster shells after use.

Dickie Brennan of Bourbon House notes that his restaurant has recycled over seven hundred tonnes of oyster shells. Every one that is recycled is used in a wonderfully positive scheme.

The charity Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana takes the shells out to the edge of the wetlands, which are put against the bank to form a living, growing barrier.

The oyster shells that are put into the waters attract baby oysters to them. The babies will settle onto the shells, where they will grow and flourish. Not only do the shells attract oyster growth, but they will also attract other species, with fish and birds being able to feed on them, creating a truly remarkable and beautiful ecosystem.

The work is both costly and labour-intensive, with 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometres) of the coastline covered at the time of writing. Still, one oyster reef that was built by the charity five years ago has helped to reduce coastal erosion there by fifty percent.

The excellent oyster is also incredible for improving water quality too. Just one single oyster can filter a whopping fifty gallons of water in a single day.

With baby oysters settling into the shells around the Louisiana wetlands, this is not only helping with the ongoing project, helping prevent flooding and hurricanes, but it is also improving the water quality too by filtering out excess nutrients in the water.

This incredible movement has got us thinking, would this work in the United Kingdom? We have yet to hear of such a thing, but we would be happy to assist any charities striving to implement this.

Chef Dean Banks on a boat in St. Andrews Bay

At Dulse, we are famous for our delicious oysters and always present them in the most sustainable way possible. All our interesting, creative serves and toppings are made using ingredients in the most eco-friendly manner, often using elements from other dishes that would otherwise be discarded after use.

If you would like to sample our delicious oyster offering, why not join us one day for our Oyster Happy Hour? This runs 5-7 pm every Monday and Tuesday, with each oyster served for £1.75 a piece.

Can't make it along to our Oyster Happy Hour? You can join us anytime for a delicious serving. The perfect beginning to any Dulse experience. Always best enjoyed with a glass of fizz too. Head to our bookings to reserve your table today.

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