MIAMI – Volunteers are preparing a recycled oyster shell to be repurposed. They have buckets of them. They’re drilling a hole into them.
The next step is stringing the shells onto a cable. The “oyster rope” will eventually breed new life as it hangs from sea walls on the New River .
“Baby oysters like settling on oyster shells better than any other material. By doing so we were able to create additional oyster habitat,” said Erik Neuguaard from Port Everglades.
He explains how oysters play a big role in cleaning up our waterways naturally. “One oyster can filter 50 gallons of water a day,” Neuguaard said.
That translates into one oyster being able to filter enough water each year to fill a swimming pool. Eventually, the plan is to create larger oyster beds, meaning more of those living filters to clean more water.
The Kukulski family is here to help.
“We’re a home school family of 2, so today is science for us,” said mother Sherrie Kukulski