Oysters and Granite? Can they unite?

Oysters are a great resource for waterman and the environment. In Maryland they used to be a primary source for economic and environmental stability. In a quote from the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Newsroom, explains the phenomenon of Oysters best. “Fish come and go. You can’t count on them,” said Capt. Larry Simns, President of the Maryland Watermen’s Association. But “the oysters and clams was the backbone of the watermen.”

Approached by Mark Bundy at Morgan State, P. Flanigan & Sons was up for a challenge. Oysters need something solid to attach themselves to. From all the sediment in the bay, the Oysters do not have enough “stuff” to attach themselves too with all the silt. The best is old oyster shells, but gravel and other stones also work. We were hoping that this would be a good use of the waste produced in making counter tops.

We worked with the Morgan State Estuarine Center to determine if recycled scrapes from reused granite counter tops could be used as an oyster bed in Chesapeake Bay. We performed a test in one of their laboratories. After a 48 hour period, no oysters had attached to the granite.

Better luck next time!

Next step? Bricks! If you have any other ideas or suggestions, please send them our way.

Tags: Chesapeake Bay, Environmental Newsroom, Estuarine Center, Larry Simns, Mark Budny, Morgan State University, Oysters