Several tons of used oyster shells bask in the March sunshine in an empty lot on the east side of Wilmington. The shells are separated into two piles. In one are shells that are dry and have been completely picked clean of oyster bits. The other, more recently deposited pile has a fishy aroma that’s quite pungent.
The shells take six months to a year to completely dry out. Afterward, they are used in living shoreline restoration. Living shorelines are built using native wetland plants, natural structures, and intertidal shellfish to trap sediment and absorb waves. Together, they help reduce erosion that has resulted in the loss of tidal salt marshes in the Delaware Estuary.
Over the past three years, the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary has used recycled shells to reinforce 1,300 feet of shoreline in Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The shells are also replanted in Delaware Bay to create new oyster reefs that support not just more oysters, but other aquatic life.
The reefs provide structure that can mitigate the damage caused by big storms. The oysters also play a big role in cleaning the water.
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