Visitors to Louisiana spent approximately $16.2 billion last year, showing a nearly 4% increase from the previous year in 2022. One of the main attractions for tourists is the cuisine in New Orleans, particularly the famous oysters.
Louisiana restaurants are not only providing food for tourists and locals but also contributing to efforts to combat land loss on the coast. Oysters have always been a staple delicacy in Louisiana, with the famous oysters Rockefeller dish originating in 1889 at Antoine’s in New Orleans.
Now, these shellfish, along with their shells, are serving another purpose for the area. Michael Biros, the restoration program director with the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, stated that Louisiana has been facing a land-loss crisis, losing over 2000 square miles of land in the last century. Since 2014, the Coalition has used more than 13 million pounds of shells to build reefs at multiple coastal locations.
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Many shells are sourced from renowned New Orleans restaurants. The state provides tax credits for every 50 pounds of shells recycled.
“We’re showing people that there is a way forward in the landscape, giving hope for growth and a future,” says Biros.
The Mississippi River levees have disrupted sediment flow crucial for supporting land, along with rising sea levels and the destruction of wetlands by hurricanes contributing to the land loss in Louisiana.
A large portion of the reef-building work is carried out by volunteers, some of whom joined after Hurricane Katrina, working with AmeriCorps.
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By creating reefs, Louisiana is not only stabilizing the shoreline but also creating breeding grounds for more oysters, benefiting the state that produces a third of the nation’s oysters. Oysters help maintain water cleanliness by filtering up to 50 gallons of water per day.
