'Before, we would actually pay to get rid of them': Oyster company repurposing discarded shells
An oyster processor in Baynes Sound is filling a void created during the pandemic and generating new revenue from shells it used to send to the landfill.
Fanny Bay Oysters has been a constant in the area for decades, shucking product and – for the most part – simply disposing of mountains of empty shells.
“Before, we would actually pay to get rid of them, they’d go to waste, they used to get all the way to the landfill,” says the company’s quality assurance manager Jeff Armstrong.
Armstrong says the company began experimenting with leftover shells they had crushed, and was using them in growing new oysters. Soon, they were approached by landscapers wanting old shells for gardening, and then chicken farmers.
“We’ve had lots of interest," Armstrong says. "We’ve just found out that it’s a great way to produce extra calcium for chickens.”
Production is being ramped up to crush shells and turn them into feed, which will be used to increase chickens' calcium intake, making the shells on the eggs they lay harder.
“It’s great for the chickens because it’s a great product and they definitely need it, you can see the difference already in their shells,” says Hilary Benesh, owner of the Cat and Crow Farm.
Benesh says she was having difficulties getting oyster shells from her normal feed suppliers because of a shortage that began during the pandemic.
“When we didn’t have it, we asked them when it was going to become available and they didn’t know, and so we just had to sort of make do for a few months,” she says.
Benesh was surprised to learn there was no previous supplier for the oyster shells.
“There’s so many different oyster farms on the island, and you see the oyster shells laying about everywhere. I figured, of course, it would be easy for us to keep up the supply, but when the feed stores had the shortage it made me question, 'Where is it actually coming from?'” she says.
In addition to the chicken feed, which Fanny Bay Oysters is making available through Buckerfields, the company thinks there could also be a future in providing products such as oyster flour for covering driveways, parking lots and bocce ball courts.
“It was great to see it go from a potential waste to something that’s useful almost everywhere,” Armstrong says.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Richard Perry, record producer behind 'You're So Vain' and other hits, dies at 82
Richard Perry, a hitmaking record producer with a flair for both standards and contemporary sounds whose many successes included Carly Simon’s 'You’re So Vain,' Rod Stewart’s 'The Great American Songbook' series and a Ringo Starr album featuring all four Beatles, died Tuesday. He was 82.
Hong Kong police issue arrest warrants and bounties for six activists including two Canadians
Hong Kong police on Tuesday announced a fresh round of arrest warrants for six activists based overseas, with bounties set at $1 million Hong Kong dollars for information leading to their arrests.
Read Trudeau's Christmas message
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued his Christmas message on Tuesday. Here is his message in full.
Stunning photos show lava erupting from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano
One of the world's most active volcanoes spewed lava into the air for a second straight day on Tuesday.
Indigenous family faced discrimination in North Bay, Ont., when they were kicked off transit bus
Ontario's Human Rights Tribunal has awarded members of an Indigenous family in North Bay $15,000 each after it ruled they were victims of discrimination.
What is flagpoling? A new ban on the practice is starting to take effect
Immigration measures announced as part of Canada's border response to president-elect Donald Trump's 25 per cent tariff threat are starting to be implemented, beginning with a ban on what's known as 'flagpoling.'
Dismiss Trump taunts, expert says after 'churlish' social media posts about Canada
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump and those in his corner continue to send out strong messages about Canada.
Heavy travel day starts with brief grounding of all American Airlines flights
American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide Tuesday because of a technical problem just as the Christmas travel season kicked into overdrive and winter weather threatened more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive.
King Charles III is set to focus on healthcare workers in his traditional Christmas message
King Charles III is expected to use his annual Christmas message to highlight health workers, at the end of a year in which both he and the Princess of Wales were diagnosed with cancer.