An ambitious project launched by an NGO called The Nature Conservancy aims to recover hundreds of oyster shells in order to help restore oyster reefs around Hong Kong Bay and elsewhere in the world.
Oyster shells are bulky and plain, but the treasures they hold go beyond their tasty meat and beautiful pearls. One company in Hong Kong is turning them into materials for constructing buildings.
Orange County Coastkeeper earlier in the week received a bounty of oyster shells, 724 pounds worth, from the recently resurrected DTLA Oyster Festival, brought back after a five-year hiatus.