Vancouver's Sustainable Path of Oyster Shells

Reports from Canada.com say that many thousands of oyster shells will be ground up and used in environmentally friendly paving materials for the parking lot at a new $8.6 million Vancouver Island University field research station planned for Deep Bay.

According to the news item, field station manager Brian Kingzett said that using the oyster shells -- a full 12 months worth of production at Fanny Bay Oysters, or about 325 dump truck loads -- in the paving material will create a more permeable surface.

"It basically acts as a natural trap and keeps things from getting in the ocean," said Kingzett.

And keeping the ocean clean, or if necessary adapting shellfish to survive in a less pristine ocean environment, is part of what the planned research station is all about.