Overview

This service improves seabed environments degraded by persistent organic matter and sludge accumulated in bays. Mixing oyster shells into sediment suppresses hydrogen sulfide that is harmful to organisms and restores habitat for benthic life, which also supports the recovery of commercially valuable fish. It is a circular approach that combines fishing-ground restoration with fisheries recovery.

Technology strengths

Heat-dried oyster shells suppress hydrogen sulfide over the long term when mixed into seabed sediment. The natural material has been shown to provide environmental restoration effects for approximately five years and returns a resource produced by the sea to productive use in the sea.

Deployment examples

Partner

Ryuiki Environmental Restoration Center

Use case

Approximately 26,000 square meters of tidal flat in Mitsu Bay, Higashihiroshima, was treated with oyster shells to improve sediment and water quality and restore habitat for diverse organisms.

Additional examples

An upcycling project also used oyster-farming plastic pipes collected by children in Suo-Oshima, Yamaguchi, as the material for shopping baskets.