Chairs: Hilary Stevens

 Date and time: Wednesday, May 06 at 1:30pm to Wednesday, May 06 at 5:00pm

 location: 201C

 Description: This session will provide an opportunity to bring together the community of practice in oyster shell recycling and oyster reef restoration from around the Gulf to share lessons learned and best practices. The demand for oyster shell for restoration projects remains high, but costs and logistics associated with shell recycling programs are significant. This session will include discussions of challenges, best practices, and issues around scaling these efforts to meet the demand.

Oysters are critical to the health of the Gulf region as a staple food and highly valued commercial fishery, as well as the water quality, erosion control, and habitat benefits they provide. Due to historic overharvest and decline of oyster populations, restoration is important to rebuilding and maintaining oyster reefs. This session aims to create an atmosphere of peer-to-peer learning in the oyster conservation and restoration community, where practitioners and researchers can come together to share wisdom and learn from each other. We welcome presentations on project case studies and lessons learned, innovations in design and materials, findings from project monitoring and evaluation, outreach and education efforts, and ongoing challenges in the field.

Wednesday, May 6, 2026
Oyster Reef Installation at Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory7:00 AM - 9:00 AM
Protection and Best Practices: 5 Years of Change in The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana’s Barataria Bay Living Shoreline7:00 AM - 9:00 AM
From Plate to Habitat: Optimizing Oyster Shell Recycling for Mississippi Sound Restoration7:00 AM - 9:00 AM
Developing a Community of Practice in Oyster Shell Recycling and Reef Restoration1:30 PM - 1:45 PM
Integrated Restoration of Oyster Reef and Bird Nesting Habitat in Jones Bay, Texas1:45 PM - 2:00 PM
Expansion, Branding, and Weather: Challenges of Starting and Expanding a Shell Recycling Program2:00 PM - 2:15 PM
Alabama Oyster Shell Recycling Past, Present, and Future2:15 PM - 2:30 PM
From Watermen to Volunteers: Collaborative Oyster Restoration in Mobile Bay, AL2:30 PM - 2:45 PM
Oyster Restoration in Mobile Bay: Current Status and Future Direction2:45 PM - 3:15 PM
Techniques to Improve Oyster Restoration in Alabama3:30 PM - 3:45 PM
Investigating fertilization rate potential of hybrid Eastern oysters in Texas3:45 PM - 4:00 PM
Factors Influencing Oyster Tissue Degradation in Quarantined Shell Piles for Restoration.4:00 PM - 4:15 PM
Innovative Deployment, Early Outcomes, and Techno-Economic Analysis of Reefense Modules for Oyster Reef Restoration and Green Shoreline Protection4:15 PM - 4:30 PM
Integrating Autonomous Aerial and Surface Platforms for Oyster Reef Deployment and Coastal Habitat Assessment4:30 PM - 4:45 PM
Tony Trapani Reef: A Vertical Relief Approach to Enhancing Oyster Reef Resilience4:45 PM - 5:00 PM