May 20, 2026 Submitted By John Algird – Hingham Deputy Shellfish Constable
On Saturday, May 9th, twenty-five interested Hingham citizens met with Liv Woods, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Oyster Project (MOP) to discuss and establish an upweller in our community. What is an upweller? It is a rectangular wooden trough, roughly 3 feet wide by 8 feet long by 2 feet deep, that has circulating seawater running through it. Inside the trough are buckets (silos) that contain tiny oysters, about ¼ inch in size. Over the summer, these oysters will increase to approximately 1 inch, at which point they can be released into the wild to bolster the shellfish population and improve water quality.
MOP has 8 upweller locations in Massachusetts in support of their four core pillars: Education, Shell Recycle, Restoration, and Advocacy. Shell Recycling is already happening, with several Hingham restaurants participating. Education and awareness would be the main focus of the upweller in Hingham. Educational materials are supplied by MOP, along with a custom-built upweller. In exchange for a tax-exempt donation, MOP will supply the upweller, starter seed stock, and educational materials for school groups and visitors. At the end of the season, the young stock, property of MOP, is used in their oyster reef restoration projects around Massachusetts.
To keep upweller-raised shellfish in Hingham, the Department of Marine Fisheries (DMF) would need to evaluate the Hingham area for suitable locations. Many interests need to be considered, including existing recreational activities, commercial operations, and waterfront property interests.
Among the participants in the meeting were Ken Corson, Harbormaster & Shellfish Constable; John Algird, Deputy Shellfish Constable; Marco Boer, Chair of the Harbor Development Committee; and Sean Paylor, private citizen and organizer of the meet and greet event. It was suggested that next steps should include the formation of a group of interested citizens reporting to the Harbor Development Committee.
Establishing an upweller in Hingham will not immediately make the harbor water cleaner, but it will create an attractive destination for students, citizens, and visitors with an interest in the future of Hingham’s waterfront and coastal environmental water quality. The Harbormaster & Shellfish Constable has recently drafted recommended Hingham Shellfish Regulations that address recreational shellfish harvesting if the harvesting classification is changed to support this activity. The proposed regulations can be reviewed here: https://hpd.org/DocumentCenter/View/926/draft-Hingham-Recreational-Shellfish-Regulations?bidId=.
Until those regulations are approved by the State and the Hingham Select board, Hingham waterways are not presently open for residential shellfishing.