About this episode

This episode discusses the restoration of wild oyster reefs in Great Bay and the collaborative efforts involved in the process.

A century ago, vast reefs of Eastern Oysters, Crassostrea virginica , stretched across Great Bay cleaning the water, sheltering fish, and forming one of New Hampshire’s most important coastal habitats. Today, a fraction of those wild oyster beds remains. But across the bay, a quiet movement is underway to bring them back one shell and a few baby oysters at a time. In this episode of Time and Tide, we’re focusing on a small animal with an outsized impact, the Eastern Oyster. We’ll start with the basics: what oysters are, how they live, and why they matter so much to estuaries like Great Bay. From there, we look back in time at the natural history of oysters in granite state waters, to understand why they’ve experienced a 90% decline. But don't worry, this is ultimately a story about restoration. Brianna Group and Kelsey Meyer from The Nature Conservancy describe how in classic New Hampshire fashion, people from all walks of life are working together to see oysters thrive. Researchers, farmers, volunteers, restaurants, nonprofits, and consumers are all part of the restoration equation. Some of these oyster restoration projects are big, requiring a football field worth of oyster…

People in this episode

Guests: Brianna Group, Kelsey Meyer, Dave Beattie, Dale Pike

Topics covered

• oyster restoration
• marine ecology
• community involvement
• environmental science
• New Hampshire coast

Keywords

• oysters
• restoration
• Great Bay
• marine habitats
• community efforts

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Nature Conservancy, Coastal Conservation Association of New Hampshire

Products: Eastern Oysters

Places: Great Bay, New Hampshire

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• Cold Water Surfing in New Hampshire: Sharing the Stoke · February 1, 2026 · 35 min
• Cold Water Surfing in New Hampshire: Surf History and the Anatomy of a Swell · February 1, 2026 · 39 min
• Shifting Sands: Tracking the Changing Shape of Our Shore · January 1, 2026 · 24 min
• Charting a Career in Marine Science, Policy and Education · December 1, 2025 · 47 min

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