Eat Oysters in Destin & Help Local Waterways

Restaurants in South Walton and Destin enjoy the benefit of having access to fresh oysters from Applachicola and other Gulf Coast cities. While many of our guests and staff have their go-to South Walton and Destin restaurant where they enjoy this local delicacy, now there are a handful of local restaurants where eating oysters is good for our local waterways.

In 2010, the Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance (CBA) and Americorps Green Team launched the O.Y.S.T.E.R. (Offer Your Shell To Enhance Restoration) Shell Recycling Program. Through the program oyster shells that would otherwise end up in a landfill are collected and reused to construct oyster reef habitat.

Oyster populations have declined in many places worldwide and Choctawhatchee Bay is no exception. By building reefs, CBA provides a place for oyster spat to settle and thrive as well as providing a habitat for a variety of other important species.

Since an adult oyster can filter as much as two and a half gallons of water per hour, it is very important that their populations flourish. Additionally, oyster reefs provide a barrier against waves and boat wake, helping reduce shoreline erosion.

When you order oysters at a participating O.Y.S.T.E.R recycling restaurant, the oysters are shucked and the top shells are placed in a bucket. The oysters shells are then placed in special bins for CBA to pick up and reuse in the program.

Consider dining at one of these participating O.Y.S.T.E.R restaurants: Johnny O'Quigley's,  Captain Dave's, Crab Trap, Kenny D's, Buster's Bar & Grill, Shrimp Basket, Bayou Bill's and The Back Porch. You'll enjoy oysters on the half shell and support our local waterways!  

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See you @ the beach!