Africa

The Gambia

• TRY Oyster Women’s Association "brings together 500 female oyster harvesters from 15 villages in the Greater Banjul area. Harvesters are grouped into cooperatives where they exchange sustainable oyster harvesting techniques and receive training in small-scale enterprise development. These cooperatives have ensured access to appropriate equipment and technologies, set higher standards for working and sanitary conditions, and helped to coordinate the processing, packaging and marketing of oysters.
  
  The cooperatives have also mobilized to reforest local mangroves and educate the local population on the benefits of environmentally responsible resource management. One of TRY Association’s biggest accomplishments to date has been its leadership in the development and implementation of the Oyster and Cockle Co-Management Plan for the Tanbi Special Management Area, synonymous with the Tanbi Wetlands National Park." Tumblr, Facebook

Alabama

• Alabama Coastal Foundation "has worked to promote a culture where environmental decisions are based on an accurate understanding of the underlying science, the dissemination of factual information, and the engagement of government, industry and citizens to find solutions to our coastal challenges. We bring that vision into reality through our inclusive environmental stewardship approach."

• 100-1000 Restore Coastal Alabama Partnership "is a collaboration between organizations along the Alabama Gulf Coast who share the goal of building 100 miles of oyster reefs and to cultivate 1,000 acres of marsh grass throughout coastal Alabama."

Florida

• Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance: Living Shorelines "CBA’s living shoreline initiative comprises oyster reef breakwaters and native shoreline grass plantings. The reefs and shoreline grasses help reduce shoreline erosion, act as a habitat for marine life, filter stormwater run-off, and improve water quality in Choctawhatchee Bay. CBA uses recycled oyster shells, limestone, or similar materials to construct reefs that act as a breakwater to stifle wave energy to slow or stop erosion. ..."

• Restore Our Shores "Oysters are considered a keystone species in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) and hold a vital role in keeping the ecosystem balanced. From filtering and cleaning water, helping to control harmful algae blooms, protecting shorelines, to supporting growth of coastal marshes, it’s easy to see why Restore Our Shores (ROS) has worked for the last decade on a variety of projects to increase lost oyster populations that improve lagoon health."

Louisiana

• Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana "Louisiana’s coastal land loss is having dramatic effects on the nation’s energy, navigation and fisheries interests. It’s also devastating the communities of south Louisiana and the families who have called this place home for generations. CRCL works at the state, local and federal levels to ensure that restoring and protecting coastal Louisiana are top priorities for our state and the nation."

• Louisiana Artificial Reef Development Council (Artificial Reef Council) was created by the Louisiana Fishing Enhancement Act (LA R.S. 56:639.6) to provide guidance to LDWF on policy and procedural matters concerning the Artificial Reef Program. The Artificial Reef Council is composed of the secretary of LDWF, the dean of the Louisiana State University College of the Coast and Environment, and the executive director of Louisiana Sea Grant, or their designees." 

Maryland

• Chesapeake Bay Foundation

• Chesapeake Oyster Alliance "is a multi-year effort designed to spark governmental action, public attention, and funding to accelerate ongoing oyster restoration efforts in the Chesapeake Bay. The ambitious goal of this collaborative effort is to add 10 billion oysters by 2025 in Virginia and Maryland waters."

• Friends of St. Clements Bay "is a community of neighbors working  to preserve and restore our watersheds in all their glory.  We organize clean up days, tree plantings, educational events, school partnerships and a campaign to bring oysters back to Breton Bay."

• Magothy River Association "MRA is one of the few organizations in the Chesapeake that runs a comprehensive oyster program that includes an oyster nursery, reef restoration, and a dive program to monitor oyster populations."

• Oyster Creek Association

• Oyster Recovery Partnership (ORP) "is the nonprofit expert in Chesapeake Bay oyster restoration. We’re restoring the Bay’s native oyster population by building sanctuary reefs, rebuilding public fishery reefs, supporting the aquaculture (oyster farming) industry, recycling oyster shell, and getting the public involved through hands-on volunteering and events. Since our founding in 1994, and with the support of major partners like the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Horn Point Lab, ORP has planted more than 10 billion oysters on 3,000 acres of reef and recycled more than 260,000 bushels of shell!"

• ORP’s Shell Recycling Alliance

• Oyster Reef Recovery Inititative (ORRI)

• Philips Wharf Environmental Center "is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that focuses on environmental education. Our mission is to encourage, educate, and engage Chesapeake Bay stewards of all ages through interactive experiences showcasing the Bay’s ecosystem and its inhabitants. Our vision is to enhance and sustain the Chesapeake Bay’s ecosystems through our programs and our network.
  
  We do this work using our traveling marine science program, the Fishmobile, in addition to our oyster restoration program, and adult education programs. You can learn more about these programs by clicking on the titles below!"

• Poplar Ridge Improvement Association

• Restore Our Shores "Oysters are considered a keystone species in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) and hold a vital role in keeping the ecosystem balanced. From filtering and cleaning water, helping to control harmful algae blooms, protecting shorelines, to supporting growth of coastal marshes, it’s easy to see why Restore Our Shores (ROS) has worked for the last decade on a variety of projects to increase lost oyster populations that improve lagoon health."

• Restore Rock Creek

• Severn River Association "Connect the people who live, work, and play on the Severn River to restore and protect it for all of our communities."

• Shore Rivers "The clean water voice for Marylander's Eastern Shore"

• West Rhode Riverkeeper, INC. "We work with our community to enforce environmental law, to promote restoration, and to advocate for better environmental policy."

Massachusetts

• Martha’s Vineyard Shell Recovery Partnership "Each year the MV Shellfish Group works towards re-establishing oyster populations island-wide. This is done by returning shell to the local waters. Often there is a shortage of available shell on Martha's Vineyard, forcing MVSG to seek and sometimes purchase recycled shell from the mainland. Shell donors (i.e. restaurants/businesses) can look forward to reducing dumpster waste volume and contributing in a positive way to the restoration of oyster beds."

New Jersey

• American Littoral Society "Since 1961 we have empowered people to care for the coast through advocacy, conservation, and education. We not only provide a voice for the coast, but also give concerned citizens the knowledge and tools they need to raise their voices with us. When we restore habitat, our objective is not only to restore a dune or rebuild an oyster reef, but also to motivate people to invest “sweat equity” into a piece of the coast, take ownership and become committed stewards. When we educate, we don’t merely provide books, CDs, or handouts. We lead students young and old into the water to get their feet wet and their hands muddy. Sitting at a computer or reading a book, people may develop an interest in the coast; standing knee deep in sea foam with sand between their toes, they will develop a passion for the coast."

New York

• Billion Oyster Project "We're restoring oyster reefs to New York Harbor through public education initiatives"

• City Island Oyster Reef (CIOR) "a non-profit 501(c)(3) community-based organization, was formed in December 2019 to expand existing oyster reef restoration efforts in New York City by reestablishing oyster populations in the waters that surround City Island in the western end of Long Island Sound."

North Carolina

• North Carolina Coastal Federation "We’re taking action to build back North Carolina’s oyster resources."

• Swan Island Oyster Sanctuary "It is located in the Pamlico Sound near the mouth of the Neuse River." "The sanctuary serves as a nursery to help repopulate nearby harvestable cultch reefs."

Oregon

• Native Olympia Oyster Collaborative works up and down the West coast to help bring back the Olympia Oyster to Washington, Oregon, and California.

Virginia

• Chesapeake Oyster Alliance "is a multi-year effort designed to spark governmental action, public attention, and funding to accelerate ongoing oyster restoration efforts in the Chesapeake Bay. The ambitious goal of this collaborative effort is to add 10 billion oysters by 2025 in Virginia and Maryland waters."

Washington

• Native Olympia Oyster Collaborative works up and down the West coast to help bring back the Olympia Oyster to Washington, Oregon, and California.