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Nearly 1 million oyster shell fragments were excavated from one 1680s building site. Photo: Historic St. Mary's City

VIDEO: Colonial Oysters Recycled from St. Mary’s Archaeological Dig

As many who care about the Bay know, oyster shell is invaluable as substrate for new oysters to grow on. And that’s why there are large-scale efforts on the Chesapeake Bay to recycle old, discarded shells from restaurants, oyster roasts, and—now—an archaeological dig site. Apparently colonial oysters are just as good as modern ones for planting oyster spat.

Cheryl Costello reports on a first-of-its-kind collaboration between Oyster Recovery Partnership and Historic St. Mary’s City. Watch below: