At Oyster Boys Conservation, it all starts with just one shell. Oyster shells are the foundation and building blocks that support our mission-driven work to care and protect Florida waterways. We collect ‘em and string ‘em together with other, like-minded shells to create a vertical oyster garden (VOG). When you hang ‘em all together from docks along our canals and marinas - they become a nature-based solution that supports our coastal ecosystems. VOG’s clean water, create healthy habitats for marine animals like fish, crabs, and shrimp and support the growth of seagrasses that are important to manatees, one of our favorite animals.

Since our humble aw-shucks beginning two years ago, we have been able to build communities above and below the waterline and make a significant conservation impact across the Sun Coast. In the last two years, we have...

Recycled over 20,000 pounds of used oysters shells from our restaurant partners and removed these shells from our landfills.
Deployed over 660 VOGs in local waterways and marinas supporting marine habitats.
Supported 500+ volunteer hours at workshops, outreach events, and giving new purpose to many volunteers residing in senior living facilities

While we are incredibly proud of these achievements, there is still so much work left to do. In 2025, OBC is committed to recycling 15,000 pounds of used oyster shells, stringing 1,500 VOG’s, and caring for more Florida waterways, especially in the wake of damages from recent hurricanes.

Just as building a VOG begins with one oyster shell, our continued conservation work begins with you! When we combine support from like-minded individuals like you with the foundation of our work, we can protect our Florida waterways, together.

In this destructive hurricane season, we have seen firsthand the importance of having resilient shorelines. Hurricanes and storm surge have impacted our coastal waterways, and now pollution and poor water quality threaten our community. During the storms, we lost many of our VOGs that were filtering water and providing homes to marine life. Help us recycle more shells and build more VOGs to continue to improve our local water quality.

OBC Giving Tuesday 2024

By Oyster Boys Conservation Inc

OBC Giving Tuesday 2024

Support Florida waterway conservation, one shell at a time!

Team Members