Charting the Future of Oyster Restoration: Insights from the 2024 Symposium

On October 25, 2024, the Massachusetts Oyster Project brought together over 50 oyster restoration leaders, scientists, nonprofits, and policymakers in Boston for a groundbreaking event—the 2024 Oyster Restoration Symposium. This full-day gathering sparked collaboration across regions and disciplines to share insights, tackle challenges, and build a stronger, more connected oyster restoration community.

Here’s what we learned and why it matters.

Citizen Science: From the Shoreline to the Lab

One of the most inspiring themes was the power of citizen science. Volunteers and community members are helping collect critical data, restore reef sites, and raise awareness. Yet challenges persist—ensuring data quality, managing long-term engagement, and navigating complex permitting are all real hurdles.

Solutions lie in collaboration, transparency, and creative outreach. From interactive restoration contests to school partnerships, the message was clear: when communities are part of the process, the science—and the restoration—gets stronger.

Building Capacity: Education, Engagement, and Empowerment

Restoration isn't just a scientific endeavor—it's a community movement. That’s why building capacity through education and outreach is essential. The symposium highlighted practical tools like using upwellers for hands-on learning, integrating restoration into school curricula, and leveraging local media and festivals to raise awareness.

Creating a pipeline for youth involvement and forging diverse partnerships—from farmers to artists—can build a more inclusive and resilient movement.

Research and Monitoring: Learning by Doing

Oyster restoration depends on solid science and adaptive monitoring. Case studies from projects like the Billion Oyster Project and Nantucket's Polpis Harbor emphasized the need for site-specific strategies, robust data collection, and long-term planning.

Key takeaways included the need for standardized monitoring protocols, transparent data sharing, and embracing experimentation—even when it leads to setbacks. These lessons aren’t failures but stepping stones to more resilient ecosystems.

Partnering with Local Governments: Scaling Restoration from the Ground Up

Working with local governments is necessary and nuanced. From sharing shellfish resources to integrating restoration into climate resilience plans, municipal partnerships offer critical pathways to scaling efforts and accessing resources.

However, regulatory complexity, liability, and competing priorities can slow progress. Clear communication, education, and shared goals are essential for building the trust needed to move forward.

Funding the Future: Diversifying Support for Long-Term Success

Securing funding remains a perennial challenge. The symposium outlined a multi-pronged approach—leveraging public and private grants, engaging corporate partners, and developing creative revenue models like shell recycling and stewardship memberships.

Diversified funding is smart, but it’s vital for the long-term sustainability of oyster restoration. As oysters thrive in biodiverse reefs, restoration efforts flourish with broad support.

Looking Ahead: A Call for Continued Collaboration

The energy and enthusiasm at the 2024 Oyster Restoration Symposium made one thing clear: this is just the beginning. As we face rising seas and increasing environmental pressures, oyster restoration offers a robust, scalable, and community-driven solution.

By continuing these conversations—at local, regional, and national levels—we can restore not just oyster populations but also the ecosystems and communities that depend on them.

To see the full white paper click HERE

Operation Restoration: Oyster

Check out 11th Hour Racing’s film “Operation Restoration: Oyster,” to learn about the dedication of the team behind the Massachusetts Oyster Project. We are so excited to share this film, and thankful to 11th Hour Racing for supporting this work. We also want to thank Lindsey Hagen for telling our story so well.

🦪 Give Shells a Second Life This Spring

Help Us Hit 100 Gifts for Healthier Waters!

Spring is a season of renewal, and this year, we’re celebrating by giving oyster shells a second life through our Shell Recycling Program.

At Mass Oyster Project, we know that every shell matters. When we collect oyster shells from local restaurants and return them to the water, we’re building the foundation for new oyster reefs, cleaner water, and thriving marine life. One recycled shell can host dozens of baby oysters—tiny but mighty workers that filter our waters, stabilize our coastlines, and create vital habitat for countless other species.

But we can't do it alone.

This spring, we’re setting a goal: 100 donations to fuel our Shell Recycling Program and expand our impact. Every gift—big or small—helps us collect more shell, recruit more oysters, and restore more of the ecosystems that protect and sustain us.

Will you help us turn empty shells into living reefs?

Your support powers everything we do—from working with local restaurants to rescue shells, to building partnerships that bring oyster reefs back to life. Together, we can create healthier waters, stronger shorelines, and a brighter future for our coastal communities.

🌿 Donate today and be part of the change.
Because when we give back to the water, the water gives back to us.

Help run this blog!

Part-time volunteer position: Communications Specialist

Overview

We seek a passionate and creative Communications Specialist to help amplify our mission and engage our community. This volunteer will be key in crafting compelling content across email, web, and other platforms. They will also support outreach efforts to increase awareness and support for our organization.

We are open to any skill level, as long as the candidate is willing to dive in and get their hands dirty creating content. This is an excellent opportunity for a student or early career professional to build their portfolio and skills under the training of the marketing professionals on our communications committee. It’s also an excellent opportunity for someone more senior to use their skills to support a great cause. 

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage email marketing content, including newsletters, fundraising appeals, and more.

• Manage website content, including blog posts, evergreen content, and other updates. 

• Assist the communications committee and executive director in promoting events, campaigns, and initiatives.

• Assist in developing social content for platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. 

• Ensure messaging aligns with our mission and branding guidelines.

Qualifications

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

• Experience with online marketing platforms (We use Mailchimp and Squarespace)

• Experience or willing to learn design programs like Canva or Adobe Creative Suite

• Ability to work independently.

Time Commitment

• Flexible; estimated 1-5 hours per week.

Impact

Your efforts will help spread awareness, engage supporters, and strengthen our outreach, ultimately driving positive change for our cause!

Who is the Mass Oyster Project?

Founded in 2008, the Massachusetts Oyster Project aims to restore native shellfish populations in Massachusetts' coastal waters to enhance the local environment and ecosystem. Oyster bed restoration would address critical issues, including water quality, marine habitat degradation, coastal resilience, and biodiversity loss.

A key goal of the Mass Oyster Project is to raise public awareness of oysters' crucial role in filtering water, providing habitat for marine life, and strengthening coastal resilience against storm surges and erosion. Over the years, Massachusetts has experienced decreased oyster populations and biodiversity losses due to declining water quality and challenging environmental factors.

How To Apply: 

Please submit a cover letter and resume to contact@massoyster.org. Please use Communication Specialist in the subject line.

Follow That Shell: A Big Move for Oyster Shell

February 27, 2025, marked a significant milestone in our shell recycling and oyster reef restoration efforts. The Mass Oyster Project, in collaboration with the Yarmouth Shellfish Collective—a partnership including A.R.C. Hatchery, Friends of Bass River, the Yarmouth Division of Natural Resources, the Mass Oyster Project, and the Yarmouth Division of Public Works—successfully transported over 11,000 pounds of recycled oyster shells from the Yarmouth transfer station to A.R.C. Hatchery in Dennis, where they will undergo a crucial aging process before being used in future restoration projects.

A Growing Effort in Shell Recycling

For the past three years, we have collaborated with 25 restaurants across Cape Cod to collect discarded oyster shells. We repurpose these shells, which would otherwise end up in landfills, to help rebuild oyster habitats. In 2024 alone, we collected 66,000 pounds of shells—an impressive 14% increase from the previous year. Since the program began in 2021, we have prevented over 185,000 pounds of shells from going to waste and redirected them toward environmental restoration efforts.

A Collective Effort for a Healthier Ecosystem

The success of this initiative would not have been possible without the dedication of local restaurants, volunteers, and partner organizations. By partnering with the Yarmouth Shellfish Collective, we continue to make meaningful strides in preserving Cape Cod’s marine habitats and ensuring a sustainable oyster future.

Reflecting on our Oyster Restoration Symposium

It was about halfway through our symposium last week. The breakout sessions were over and I was futilely trying to get everyone’s attention to tell them time was up. I clapped and raised my voice but everyone was too busy talking and working together. I needed them to stop so we could go on to the next phase, but then it struck me: this was what I wanted. People from oyster restoration groups from across the country talking and engaging over shared issues and challenges.

Our 2024 Oyster Restoration Symposium attracted more than 50 people representing 20 organizations from across 10 states. We spent the day at the New England Aquarium hearing talks, working in groups, and breaking down the silos we all work in every day.

Right from the beginning, we acknowledged the gaps that existed in the work that is happening. Dr. Rachel Smith from UC Santa Barbara delivered an awesome keynote about her research into shellfish restoration work. She highlighted gaps that exist in the way we work, in particular how we approach monitoring / metrics and approaches to education. But people didn’t take this as frustrating. It was inspiring that there is still so much we can do! But it will only happen if we work together, like setting up standard metrics for restoration monitoring or applying for joint grants.

Our breakout sessions focused on Research and Monitoring, Building Capacity, Community Engagement through Citizen Science, Finding Funding Opportunities, Partnering with Local Governments. One of my biggest fears was that more established organizations wouldn’t find the conversation helpful. What does a multi-million dollar organization like Maryland’s Oyster Recovery Partnership have to learn from us? But throughout the day attendees from groups big and small pulled me aside to share with me some small tidbit or strategy they hadn’t thought about before. As we wrapped up, I could tell everyone was enthusiastic to build on what we were doing.

Two months after I started at Mass Oyster Project, I was on a site visit in Wellfleet with one of our partners, 11th hour racing. We reviewed our success getting the season’s shell recycling set up. As we walked back to the car, they asked me what’s next. I was still getting my feet under me, but I said, “there needs to be more collaboration and conversations.” They said immediately they would support something like that.

A year and a half later, I led off the symposium on the same note: “Success today is about making connections, learning best practices, starting relationships, building on the good work already happening and collectively being better together.” It wouldn’t have been possible without 11th hour’s support as well as the work and enthusiasm of all our attendees. This is just the beginning. I’m hoping we can continue to build off of this effort, bringing in more organizations from across the country for the next Oyster Restoration Symposium.

I also can’t write anything without thanking the teams at Conservancy and The New England Aquarium. They played a huge role in making the event such a success.