ANNAPOLIS, MD (October 12, 2021) – Pearl, an ultra-smooth, award-winning vodka, is an adventurous spirit with an oyster-shaped heart. Through a generous donation to the Oyster Recovery Partnership (ORP), Pearl has committed to support shell recycling, critical to Chesapeake Bay oyster restoration efforts. The new partnership will result in millions of new oysters planted in Chesapeake Bay waters!
“We appreciate the important work that ORP is doing to restore Bay health, and of course we love the complimentary Pearl and oyster branding. We are excited to launch this partnership, which we strongly believe will bring about cleaner, healthier waterways for everyone in the Chesapeake region to enjoy,” said Ryan Earey, Vice President of National Sales for LUXCO.
Oysters are a critical species to the Bay’s long-term recovery because they filter excess nutrients and serve as habitat for a multitude of marine life. Oyster shell is the best, most natural material used to rebuild oyster reefs – and it’s also in in very short supply. To save this ecologically important byproduct, ORP created the Shell Recycling Alliance in 2010 to reclaim shell, at no cost, from the seafood industry. Shell that otherwise would be dumped in landfills is now recycled, cleaned, treated with baby oysters and put back into the waters of the Chesapeake Bay.
“We are grateful to Pearl Vodka for their generous financial support and for providing a new platform to raise awareness on the important role oysters play in the Bay’s ecologic and economic recovery,” said Ward Slacum, Executive Director of ORP.
Using the latest in innovation in science, the Oyster Recovery Partnership works collaboratively with its restoration partners to produce spat on shell and deploy the resulting juvenile oysters onto strategically selected sites in the Chesapeake Bay. These efforts aim to bolster oyster populations, assist oyster farmers in a production, support the wild fishery harvests and re-create large, healthy reefs last seen 50 to 100 years ago. Over the past two decades, the Oyster Recovery Partnership has planted nearly 9 billion oysters on more than 2,500 underwater acres throughout Maryland. Learn more at oysterrecovery.org.
Learn more about Pearl and find it near you by visiting pearlvodka.com.
