shellfish for composting

Just finished eating a nice crawfish and shrimp seafood boil. I usually throw the shells away in a trash can outside to avoid it stinking up my kitchen, but was wondering if it would be okay to throw them at the bottom of my compost bin?

I see no reason not to put these crayfish/shrimp shells in the compost.  I would pour the water with all those spices there too.

Hi Z,
Welcome to permies!

I second the idea to add them to the compost. Unbroken shells can take a while to break down, but that is ok, as you are adding nutrients for your grandkids... or whoever grows in that soil a couple generations down the road :)

I burn all of the waste bones and egg shells from my kitchen and add the ash to the compost heap, a little at a time. It makes short work and I feel that most of the calcium and other minerals are retained that way - plus, bonus, no smell and no lure for rodents.

There is some research out there that states how the chitin from shellfish/insects can be a benefit for your plants through 'super-charging' its natural immune system to help resist pests.

I tried an application of crab shell meal and have no complaints other than the initial 'fishy' smell that you could only notice if you were right there.

I think compost is an excellent idea regardless. The more variety in the compost, the better chances for a well balanced garden addition!

We have invasive American signal crayfish this side of the water that have to regularly netted and destroyed in large numbers.
They make great compost / fertiliser just mix them well with plenty of browns as with any meat your composting. The outer shells break down a lot faster than bone in a hot heap

I have been adding crawfish shells to my compost for five years. I make cold compost that I let sit for eighteen months. By then the shells are nearly totally gone. DO NOT pour the cooking liquid on your compost. It contains a  LOT of salt.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=memp62N0yr8&ab_channel=NelsonBlanchard

There is some reputable research (SARE) that shellfish casings in the garden help deter the dread pest symphylans. Probably because the shells encourage a vigorous population of chitin-eating fungi, which intern make the environment uncomfortable for symphylans. Kind of like how you might avoid a lake that is especially thick with mosquitoes.

I wouldn't go especially far out of my way to come up with crab shell meal, but for my gardening clients who live on the coast--and in areas plagued by invasive green crabs that get caught by the boatload and donated freely to anyone who shows up on the dock--the crab meal has been a helpful tool to build soil fertility. Symphylans are no joke, and often the culprit behind poor garden performance in our Pacific Northwest soils.

Alexia Allen
Hawthorn Farm

Everything organic goes in my compost piles. It'll be food for something!

Have seen this thread for a while and not posted b/c TMI (too much information); but I am enjoying a second cup of coffee and have a bit of time.  I will keep it short.

I come from an island that is basically a sand bar.  Poor soil.  very little organic matter.  Just a lot of silica sand.  My grandfather owned a business that serviced the local fleet, among them many shrimpers.  He had one regular customer whom frequently stopped by and dropped of some of the nicest produce.  My grandfather was a gardener and was impressed at the quality and quantity this person was able to achieve on the same land he struggled to garden.

The secret?  A law was passed that shrimpers could no longer clean their catch and dump the waste at sea.  It had to be brought in, unloaded, and treated as waste.  To avoid the added expense and hassle, the shrimper bought a lot next to his house, dug a long trench and buried his waste.  This was many many years ago.  He was not doing anything special or handling it as compost.  It just naturally broke down over time and enriched the ground.  But as nature took its course, he had the best garden on the island.  

Yes, shellfish will compost.  It fact makes great fertilizer.  

Being allergic to shellfish seems to have drawbacks 😂