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If you enjoyed some of the 100,000 oysters served at this year’s St. Mary's Fiesta Oyster Bake, you might be surprised to know that those oyster shells will soon be in the water on the Gulf Coast at Goose Island State Park.
It’s part of an oyster reef rehabilitation program called “Sink Your Shucks,” which is coordinated through the Harte Research Institute in Corpus Christi. Fiesta Oyster Bake is one of the sources for the oysters, along with participating restaurants in the program.
The oyster shells are cleaned and dried before going back into the water.
Stephanie Tierce coordinates the program. She said the newly created oyster reefs provide habitat for baby oysters, but that’s not all.
“Once that happens there’s also crabs, fish, even types of worms create habitat there," she said.
They new oyster reefs also help to prevent erosion.
Earlier this month, volunteers placed 37 tons of oyster shells at Goose Island in St. Charles Bay.
