Preserving Marine Habitats

Oysters are an important ecological and economic resource, but oyster reefs, once dominant habitats in estuaries worldwide, have experienced greater losses than any other marine habitat. It is estimated that over 80% and up to 90% of oyster reef habitats in most parts of the world have been lost.

In our area of the Coastal Bend of Texas, the dredging methods used by wild oyster harvesters remove “Gulf oysters” and all of the important habitats they create for other sea animals by dragging nets and equipment across the bottom of the seabed.

The Texas Surf Conservancy works with many partners who align closely with our mission to preserve and restore marine habitats along the Texas Gulf Coast. Those include Harte Research Institute at Texas A & M University–Corpus Christi (HRI), the home of Sink Your Shucks™ Oyster Shell Recycling Program, and Palacios Marine Agricultural Research (PMAR).

HRI is a leader among marine research institutes and known for their interdisciplinary research and work on marine science issues. HRI is led by Greg Stunz, Ph.D. as Senior Executive Director.  Jennifer Pollack, Ph.D. leads the Coastal Conservation & Restoration efforts at HRI. Both Dr. Stunz and Dr. Pollack are dedicated to integrating research, socio-economics, and policy to develop science-driven solutions that aim to conserve coastal and marine resources that develop resilient communities and support thriving economies.

Our organization’s founder, Brad Lomax, worked closely with HRI in 2009 to create what is now the Sink Your Shucks™ program that recycles shucked oyster shells from restaurants and places them back into local bays where they restore and enhance degraded reefs. Through our close partnership with our friends at Sink Your Shucks™, we ensure that oyster shells are responsibly recycled at all Texas Surf Conservancy events. In addition, we join annual restoration and bagging events in the Coastal Bend and promote shell recycling with restaurants and business owners across the State of Texas.

PMAR is a powerhouse nonprofit organization located in Palacios, Texas that is dedicated to repairing and restoring oyster beds up and down the Texas Gulf Coast. Founded by a local foundation with a $15 million dollar investment, their mission is to “through the collective effort of researchers, industry and Texas lawmakers, lead with oyster aquaculture to stabilize oyster numbers, reduce the devastating impacts of natural disasters on oyster populations, and improve our coastal environmental and economic resiliency.”

The Texas Surf Conservancy values these important partners in preservation and restoration and we encourage you to follow their groundbreaking work.