The giant tanks and industrial feel reminded me of being in a brewery. Our tour guide explained how free-swimming oyster larvae grow from the size of a speck of dust into the version of shellfish ...

You can get it from oysters or from swimming in warm brackish water. But let's put that into perspective. Julie Qiu: "The risk of running into a bad oyster is lower than people think it is.

The Billion Oyster Program incorporates oyster larvae, imported from East Coast hatcheries, into tanks with reef structures.

Maliagros' girl scout project, done through local partnerships, cultivated multiple oyster gardens to replenish the ecosystem and filter the bay's water.