A plate of oysters at the Lemaire Restaurant in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo: Matt DiNardo)
VIRGINIA (WRIC) – When you order oysters from The mayor In addition to helping Virginia’s oyster farmers in Richmond, you are also helping restore Chesapeake Bay.
Lemaire is one of over 50 restaurants participating in the Virginia Oyster Shell Recycling Program (VOSRP).
According to the VOSRP website, participating restaurants store empty trays in sealed containers. These containers are then regularly picked up by volunteers. The oysters are then aged and placed in seed tanks. Baby oysters, also known as “spit”, attach themselves to the shells, which are then returned to the bay.
“Don’t chuck the shuck”: How is oyster recycling helping the Chesapeake Bay?
This process helps restore wild oyster populations, thereby improving water quality and creating new fish habitat.
“It feels really good to recycle oysters. Because we know we can recycle any oysters we use and grow new oysters that others can enjoy, ”Lemaire Executive Chef Patrick Willis told 8News.
Todd Janeski, program director of VOSRP, said what makes oysters that come from Chesapeake Bay tasty is that they are an estuary – the meeting point of the salty ocean and rivers of varying levels of salinity.
“This enables us to have a geographically distinct taste profile, and within this particularity eight different regions have been identified, which we call taste regions,” said Janeski.
Farmers also grow oysters with recycled shells, much like they are grown to restore Chesapeake Bay, explained Brandon Eanes, field manager at 3 Hands Oysters.
Millions of oysters are grown on Gwynn’s Island for the Chesapeake Bay restoration project
3 hands oysters is a local oyster farmer on Gwynn’s Island. They grow oysters that are a little less salty or salty.
“We start [oyster larve] about the size of a number two pencil point and grow to something three and a half inches tall in 12 to 18 months. They spend their entire life cycle in a cage and finish in a floating cage, ”said Eanes.
Lemaire currently serves 3 Hands Oysters. Good Appetite!