Restaurants return oyster shells to restore Coastal Bend reefs

When diners want a taste of the sea, they order the oysters, perhaps served in their own shells. The diner might not realize that the removal of shells when oysters are being harvested can disrupt the coastal ecosystem. They might not know that there's any option other than tossing the shells in wit

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When diners want a taste of the sea, they order the oysters, perhaps served in their own shells.

The diner might not realize that the removal of shells when oysters are being harvested can disrupt the coastal ecosystem. They might not know that there's any option other than tossing the shells in with the trash headed to the landfill.

But now that a Coastal Bend conservation initiative has expanded, oyster shells from partnering San Antonio restaurants are now being diverted back into Texas bays to restore oyster reefs.

For years, the Sink Your Shucks Oyster Shell Recycling Program at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi's Harte Research Institute has collected shells from local Corpus Christi restaurants. Community volunteers of all ages have helped

the Sink Your Shucks team restore oyster reefs in St. Charles Bay near Goose Island State Park.

The initiative has returned millions of pounds of shell to waters in the Mission-Aransas Estuary, including in Copano, Aransas and St. Charles bays. In June, volunteers also added a reef just off Mustang Island in the Upper Laguna Madre.

Last week, Sink Your Sucks announced a new partnership with the South Texas Coastal Initiative to create a pathway to collect oyster shells from San Antonio restaurants.

“This partnership shows that you don’t have to live on the coast to have an impact on it,” Sink Your Shucks program coordinator Stephanie Tierce said in a news release. “An oyster enjoyed at a restaurant in San Antonio can ultimately become part of the habitat that supports the next generation of oysters in our Texas bays. It’s a true bay-to-table and back-to-bay cycle.”

Students from the Rockport-Fulton, Flour Bluff and Corpus Christi independent school districts shovel oyster shells into buckets during a Sink Your Shucks event led by the Harte Research Institute at Goose Island State Park in Rockport on May 7, 2025.

According to the news release, collection is already underway at Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery, Brasserie Mon Chou Chou and Pullman Market in the historic Pearl District, as well as Little Em’s Oyster Bar in the King William historic district. Partner Mission Compost has already collected more than 5,000 pounds of shells.

The partners are looking for more restaurants to participate. Interested San Antonio restaurants can email Eric@Ejdcomp.com for more information, according to the news release.

"Partnering with the South Texas Coastal Initiative and Sink Your Shucks allows us to complete the cycle for every oyster we serve,” Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery chef de cuisine Aaron Juvera said in the news release. “Knowing our shells return to the Texas coast to rebuild vital reefs and protect our waters reflects Southerleigh’s true commitment to sustainability.

"Our goal is to holistically support Texas oyster farms, educate our staff and guests on the delicacy and diversity of Texas oysters, and ensure our shells actively rebuild the regenerative ecosystem.”

Young larval oysters have no shell. The swim for about three weeks before finding a hard surface, preferably other oysters, where they can attach and begin building their shells. Beyond the impact on oyster populations, these reefs are habitats for fish and shellfish that filter and clean water and protect shorelines from erosion.

Here are the other restaurants that also participate in Sink Your Shucks: