Nonprofit awarded federal funding to join oyster recycling, reef restoration efforts

Photo caption: CRCL and volunteers build an oyster reef using shell recycled by New Orleans restaurants. Photo courtesy CRCL.

The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, which operates one of the largest shell recycling programs in the nation, has accepted federal funding to join the new Gulf of Mexico Community-Based Oyster Recycling and Reef Restoration Network.

The three-year cooperative agreement is led by Restore America’s Estuaries and supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). According to a news release, it has received $5 million in bipartisan infrastructure law funding to support oyster restoration, shell recycling and community engagement.

The GRO network unites CRCL, RAE, Galveston Bay Foundation, Tampa Bay Watch, Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program and Alabama Coastal Foundation to establish or enhance oyster shell recycling programs, restore existing oyster reefs, install new oyster reefs to protect shorelines and expand populations and share lessons learned with members of the Gulf region.

CRCL, Louisiana’s first statewide nonprofit dedicated to tackling coastal land loss, has recycled more than 13 million lbs. of shell through its Oyster Shell Recycling Program since 2014. The nonprofit has built five oyster reefs so far, with another reef build scheduled for this fall at Pointe-au-Chien. CRCL has measured a 50% decrease in the rate of shoreline erosion in locations where reefs have been built. CRCL’s oyster reefs establish habitat for new oysters to grow. Oyster reefs also lessen storm surge during hurricanes.

More than 30 New Orleans-area restaurants participate in CRCL’s Oyster Shell Recycling Program.

“Restore America’s Estuaries is excited to expand our partnerships in the Gulf region and to collect and share the knowledge and skills of our partners in the area of oyster shell recycling, nature-based shoreline resilience and community engagement,” Daniel Hayden, president and CEO of RAE, said in a news release. “We appreciate NOAA’s confidence in RAE to not only further coastal resilience through on-the-ground restoration but also grow the network of communities and organizations participating in these projects, particularly those that stand to lose the most in the face of changing coastal ecosystems.”

“Building partnerships is among our core strengths at CRCL, and we are eager to work with these other organizations to maximize the effectiveness of our efforts,” said Kim Reyher, executive director of CRCL and chairwoman of the RAE Board of Directors. “We have seen great success with our oyster reefs, and we know that success can be replicated across the Gulf Coast.”

The funding will help pay for shell bagging volunteer events hosted by CRCL commencing this fall. It will also support CRCL’s construction of two oyster reefs. One of them will be constructed by volunteers and community partners in the fall of 2024 in Plaquemines Parish. It will protect a culturally important site selected by the Atakapa-Ishak/Chawasha tribe of Grand Bayou Indian Village.

In the fall of 2025, the plan is for funding to support a reef built by volunteers and community partners in Terrebonne Parish. This reef site will be selected by the Grand Caillou/Dulac Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw. 

A map of oyster reefs built along Louisiana’s coast is available online. A list of restaurants participating in CRCL’s Oyster Shell Recycling Program can be found on the organization’s website.

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