aquaplot

aquaplot
Rethinking Bostons Oyster Culture

How to Shuck an Oyster

STEP 01
Rinse your oysters in cold water and scrub them.

STEP 02
Use a clean kitchen towel to protect your hand from the shell and the knife. Hold the oyster- cup side downin your palm with the hinge toward you. Hold the knife in your dominant hand.

STEP 03
Insert the shucking knife into the hinge of the oyster. Once inserted 1/2, twist the knife to pop the top shell. Follow the top shell contour with your knife. Continue to cut through the adductor muscle and remove the top shell.

STEP 04
Guide the knife under the oyster from the top to cut the adductor muscle. Slice the muscle while keeping the oyster intact. Keep the oyster intact and preserve as much oyster liquor as possible. Serve on ice.

How to Eat an Oyster

STEP 01
Pick the oyster up, keeping it flat so as not to spill the juices. Hold it so that the smooth edge of the shell is facing towards you.

STEP 02
Use a cocktail fork, finger, or toothpick to nudge the oyster loose from its shell before slurping.

STEP 03
Drizzle a little lemon, tabasco, cocktail sauce, or mignonette if you desire.

STEP 04
Tip the shell up and let the oyster and its juices slide into your mouth. Chew the meat a few times to release its sweetness; dont just swallow the whole thing.

The Oyster: Crassostrea virginica

a. hinge b. digestive gland c. intestine d. stomach e. heart f. gills g. tentacles h. mantle i. anus j. adductor muscle

Oysters in Boston: A Local Legacy

Oysters in Boston: Contemporary Culture

4.1 million pounds of oysters were harvested in Massachusetts last year

4.1 million pounds of oysters were harvested in Massachusetts last year

by 261 growers in 22 communities

ISLAND CREEK WELLFLEET PLYMOUTH ROCK

NARAGANSETT QUONSET POINT

WHALE ROCK WATCH HILL OYSTERPONDS

UMAMI COTUIT WIANNO

ROBINS ISLAND

WILLOWS HOLE PIPES COVE

SHELTER ISLAND

MOONSTONE

CUTTYHUNK TOMAHAWK

MARTHAS VINEYARD

MECOX BAY

Over 40 restaurants in the City of Boston serve oysters.

28 Degrees 49 Social Atlantic Fish B&G Oysters (MOP) Barking Crab Barlows Restaurant Boston Chops Canary Square Chart House Citizen Public House & Oyster Bar Eastern Standard Kitchen & Drinks Gaslight Brasserie Du Coin Grill 23 Island Creek Oyster Bar Jasper Whites Summer Shack Langham Hotel (MOP) Legal Harborside Les Zygomates Mare Oyster Bar Marliave McCormick & Schmicks Faneuil Hall McCormick & Schmicks Myers + Chang Neptune Oyster No-Name Restaruant North End Fish Market (MOP) Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel (MOP) Salty Dog Seafood Grille & Bar Sel De La Terre - Long Wharf Skipjacks Smith & Wollensky The Daily Catch North End The Lansdowne The Oceanaire Seafood Room Turner FIsheries Bar Union Oyster House Yankee Lobster

Is this what you associate with Boston oysters?

Theres another side to this picture . . .

Each restaurant generates

20 pounds of oyster shell per day.

Each restaurant generates

20 pounds of oyster shell per day.

Thats one 5 gallon bucket every day.

Each restaurant generates

20 pounds of oyster shell per day.

Thats one 5 gallon bucket every day.

Together, this totals about 300,000 pounds of oyster shell per year.

Each restaurant generates

20 pounds of oyster shell per day.

Thats one 5 gallon bucket every day.

Together, this totals about 300,000 pounds of oyster shell per year. [Thats 15,000 buckets every year.]

Thats 300,000 pounds of oyster shell going into landfills

Bostons current system looks like this:

Landfill Trash Restaurant

Farm

Landfill Trash Restaurant

Farm

A broken cycle . . . A missed opportunity.

How can these shells be used productively?

BOSTON CHOPS Restaurant September 23 KERSTIN KALCHMAYR NY/NJ Baykeeper NYC Oyster Gardening Program October 16

BRIAN DUDLEY DEP Massachusetts Estuaries Project October 17

GASLIGHT BRASSERIE DU COIN Restaurant September 23

CITIZEN PUBLIC HOUSE Restaurant September 23

SAVE THAT STUFF Shell Storage September 24 MYCO SUPPLY Shell Supply October 3

RAY KONISKY The Nature Conservancy Oyster Conservationist Program October 15

BRYAN GLASCOCK City of Boston Department of Environment October 17

DENNIS LEIGH Urban Harbor Institute UMass Boston Nov 18 MATTHEW NASH DCR Nov 18

49 SOCIAL Restaurant September 23

ANDREW JAY Mass Oyster September 25 STEVE CONNOLLY SEAFOOD Wholesale September 27

RAY GRIZZLE University of New Hampshire Oyster Conservationist Program October 15

BRIAN HOWES University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth School of Marine Science & Technology October 17

DEBORAH HADDEN Massport, Boston Fish Pier Nov 18 EMILY DRISCOLL Shell Shocked Movie Nov 18

NORTHEND FISH Restaurant September 23

HUBER MATERIALS Pharmaceuticals October 3

Maryland Oyster Gardening Program October 12

PAM DIBONA + LISA BERRY ENGLER Massachusetts Bays Program Nov 18

WEEKLY DIG Nov 18 CANARY SQUARE Restaurant September 23 SLADEGORTON Wholesale September 27 MARA HASELTINE Artist October 3 E.J. CHALABALA Center for the Inland Bay Shellfish Gardening Program October 12 NICHOLA MESERVE + MICHAEL HICKEY MASS Division of Marine Fisheries Nov 18

NORTHEND WATERFRONT NEWSLETTER Nov 18

UNION OYSTER HOUSE Restaurant September 23

BEN KOOPMAN University of Florida September 27

SEONG-TAE YI Concrete Experimentation October 3

P.J. WATERS The Mobile Bay Oyster Gardening Program October 12

WBUR RADIO BOSTON 90.9 Nov 18

GINNY CALLAN New England Grassroots Environment Fund Nov 18

JASPER WHITE SUMMER SHACK Restaurant September 23

CAPECOD SHELLFISH Wholesale September 27

EUN-IK YANG Concrete Experimentation October 3

PAUL Cape Cod Shellfish (wholesale) October 10

LAURA LEVIS Harvard Magazine Nov 18

JENNIFER FELT Conservation Law Foundation Nov 18

ISLAND CREEK Restaurant September 23

AQUANOR-USA Wholesale September 27

BLAKE PEARCE Carolina Supplies LLC September 30

GEORGE BUCKLEY Harvard University Extension School October 4

DAN Pangea Shellfish (wholesale) October 10

HARVARD GAZETTE Nov 18

BRUCE BERMAN + MATT WOLFE Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay Nov 18

PETER GAWNE New England Aquarium Nov 18 JULIE WORMSER Executive Director The Boston Harbor Association October 10

BRIANNE CALLAHAN Massachusetts Baykeeper Nov 18

LANSDOWNE PUB BOSTON Restaurant September 23

PIER FISH Wholesale September 27

CHAN-WON LEE Eutrophication Study September 30

EMILY DRISCOLL Documentary Director October 4

CITY OF BOSTON Environment Department Nov 18

S E PT E M B E R

O CTO B ER

NOVEMBER

D E CE MBE R

BOSTON CHOPS Restaurant September 23 KERSTIN KALCHMAYR NY/NJ Baykeeper NYC Oyster Gardening Program October 16

BRIAN DUDLEY DEP Massachusetts Estuaries Project October 17

GASLIGHT BRASSERIE DU COIN Restaurant September 23

CITIZEN PUBLIC HOUSE Restaurant September 23

SAVE THAT STUFF Shell Storage September 24 MYCO SUPPLY Shell Supply October 3

RAY KONISKY The Nature Conservancy Oyster Conservationist Program October 15

BRYAN GLASCOCK City of Boston Department of Environment October 17

PAM DIBONA + LISA BERRY ENGLER Massachusetts Bays Program Nov 18

49 SOCIAL Restaurant September 23

ANDREW JAY Mass Oyster September 25 STEVE CONNOLLY SEAFOOD Wholesale September 27

RAY GRIZZLE University of New Hampshire Oyster Conservationist Program October 15

BRIAN HOWES University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth School of Marine Science & Technology October 17

MATTHEW NASH DCR Nov 18

DEBORAH HADDEN Massport, Boston Fish Pier Nov 18 EMILY DRISCOLL Shell Shocked Movie Nov 18

NORTHEND FISH Restaurant September 23

HUBER MATERIALS Pharmaceuticals October 3

Maryland Oyster Gardening Program October 12

WEEKLY DIG Nov 18 CANARY SQUARE Restaurant September 23 SLADEGORTON Wholesale September 27 MARA HASELTINE Artist October 3 E.J. CHALABALA Center for the Inland Bay Shellfish Gardening Program October 12

DENNIS LEIGH Urban Harbor Institute UMass Boston Nov 18 NICHOLA MESERVE MASS Division of Marine Fisheries Nov 18

NORTHEND WATERFRONT NEWSLETTER Nov 18

UNION OYSTER HOUSE Restaurant September 23

BEN KOOPMAN University of Florida September 27

SEONG-TAE YI Concrete Experimentation October 3

P.J. WATERS The Mobile Bay Oyster Gardening Program October 12

WBUR RADIO BOSTON 90.9 Nov 18

GINNY CALLAN New England Grassroots Environment Fund Nov 18

JASPER WHITE SUMMER SHACK Restaurant September 23

CAPECOD SHELLFISH Wholesale September 27

EUN-IK YANG Concrete Experimentation October 3

PAUL Cape Cod Shellfish (wholesale) October 10

LAURA LEVIS Harvard Magazine Nov 18

SEAN COSGROVE Conservation Law Foundation Nov 18

ISLAND CREEK Restaurant September 23

AQUANOR-USA Wholesale September 27

BLAKE PEARCE Carolina Supplies LLC September 30

GEORGE BUCKLEY Harvard University Extension School October 4

DAN Pangea Shellfish (wholesale) October 10

HARVARD GAZETTE Nov 18

BRUCE BERMAN + MATT WOLFE Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay Nov 18

PETER GAWNE New England Aquarium Nov 18 JULIE WORMSER Executive Director The Boston Harbor Association October 10

BRIANNE CALLAHAN Massachusetts Baykeeper Nov 18

LANSDOWNE PUB BOSTON Restaurant September 23

PIER FISH Wholesale September 27

CHAN-WON LEE Eutrophication Study September 30

EMILY DRISCOLL Documentary Director October 4

CITY OF BOSTON Environment Department Nov 18

S E PT E M B E R

O CTO B ER

NOVEMBER

D E CE MBE R

BOSTON CHOPS Restaurant September 23 MASS DIVISION OF MARINE FISHERIES MIT SEAGRANT RAY KONISKY The Nature Conservancy Oyster Conservationist Program October 15 MASS ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY PLAN

SAVE THAT STUFF Shell Storage September 24 MYCO SUPPLY Shell Supply October 3

MATTHEW NASH DCR Nov 18

ANDREW JAY Mass Oyster September 25

RAY GRIZZLE University of New Hampshire Oyster Conservationist Program October 15

BOSTON NATURAL AREAS NETWORK

PIERRE BELANGER GSD DENNIS LEIGH Urban Harbor Institute UMass Boston Nov 18 ANAMARIJA FRANKIC UMass Boston

E.J. CHALABALA Center for the Inland Bay Shellfish Gardening Program October 12

NICHOLA MESERVE MASS Division of Marine Fisheries Nov 18

JEFF KENNEDY MASS Division of Marine Fisheries MICHAEL HICKEY MASS Division of Marine Fisheries THOMAS SHIELDS MASS Division of Marine Fisheries

BEN KOOPMAN University of Florida September 27

P.J. WATERS The Mobile Bay Oyster Gardening Program October 12 SEAN COSGROVE Conservation Law Foundation Nov 18

PAUL Cape Cod Shellfish (wholesale) October 10

BLAKE PEARCE Carolina Supplies LLC September 30

GEORGE BUCKLEY Harvard University Extension School October 4

DAN Pangea Shellfish (wholesale) October 10

ROBIN L. JUST Ocean Program Communications Conservation Law Foundation

CHAN-WON LEE Eutrophication Study September 30

EMILY DRISCOLL Documentary Director October 4

S E PT E M B E R

O CTO B ER

NOVEMBER

D E CE MBE R

chicken feed calcium supplement

fertilizer soil amendment

greywater filtration system eutrophication treatment

tabby construction aggregate / paving

reef substrate

Over 85% of oyster reefs have been lost globally

So HOW can Boston address both wasted shells and oyster reef decline?

What makes aquaplot different?

OYSTER GARDEN KIT

PARTS

GARDEN

These oysters are part of a city-wide oyster gardening program that recycles shells, restores native oyster reefs, and improves local water quality. DO NOT EAT THESE OYSTERS, THEY MAY BE HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH

a. wire mesh

b. corner reinforcements & project label

c. spat-covered oyster shells

d. oyster garden basket

Why go to all this trouble?

Oyster gardening in Boston can provide a

multitude of benets

ADDRESS SHELL WASTE STREAM

REBUILD REEFS

IMPROVE WATER QUALITY PROVIDE MARINE HABITAT

OYSTER GARDENING

ADDRESS SHELL WASTE STREAM

REBUILD REEFS

IMPROVE WATER QUALITY PROVIDE MARINE HABITAT

CITIZEN SCIENCE

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

CHILDRENS ACTIVITIES EDUCATION

OYSTER GARDENING

ADDRESS SHELL WASTE STREAM

REBUILD REEFS

IMPROVE WATER QUALITY PROVIDE MARINE HABITAT

CITIZEN SCIENCE

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

CHILDRENS ACTIVITIES EDUCATION

OYSTER GARDENING
CONNECT PEOPLE TO PLACE

ACTIVATE WATERFRONT

CONNECT PEOPLE TO PEOPLE

ADDRESS SHELL WASTE STREAM

REBUILD REEFS

IMPROVE WATER QUALITY PROVIDE MARINE HABITAT

CITIZEN SCIENCE

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

CHILDRENS ACTIVITIES EDUCATION

OYSTER GARDENING
CONNECT PEOPLE TO PLACE

ACTIVATE WATERFRONT

CONNECT PEOPLE TO PEOPLE

REVENUE LOCAL HERITAGE

AQUACULTURE
JOBS

TOURISM

So what COULD Boston look like?

But why stop there. . .?

PORTLAND

SEATTLE PORTSMOUTH

PORTLAND

BOSTON

PROVIDENCE

NEW YORK SAN FRANCISCO BALTIMORE

NORFOLK LOS ANGELES

CHARLESTON SAVANNAH MOBILE

TAMPA HOUSTON NEW ORLEANS MIAMI

Beyond the studio...

KOREA UNITED STATES JAPAN CHINA

China produces 85% of the worlds oysters. The US is the 4th largest producer.

TOURISM + RECREATION

EDUCATION

CONSTRUCTION

FESTIVALS

RESTAURANTS

RESTORATION

SCIENCE + RESEARCH

RETAIL

DISCARDED SHELLS

PUBLIC HEALTH

WHOLESALE / DISTRIBUTION

HOTELS

WASTE MANAGEMENT

AQUACULTURE

POLLUTION + WATER QUALITY SHELLFISH INDUSTRY

ECOLOGY

BUSINESS

RY ST U D IN

SH EL L FIS H

RURANT RESTA
RM

TRA SH

FA

S LITIE IPA C I N MU

FILL ND A L

OJECT OYSTER PR MASS

SH EL L FIS H

RY ST U D IN

RURANT RESTA
RM

COL LEC TIO N

VE SA

FA

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G YIN DR

REEF BUILDING
T

MA S S OY S

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EC OJ PR

T R AN SP

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GARDENERS

RE TU NA

NCY RVA NSE CO

MA S SO Y

T EC OJ PR ER ST

ERS EN RD GA

CULTIVATION

TR A NS P

N TIO TA OR

SPA T

REEF BUILDING

N ATIO DUC E / N TIO ITU T INS

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BUSINESS

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COL LEC TIO N

SH EL L FIS H