Over the past 20 years, the oyster population in Mississippi’s Gulf waters has been devastated by natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina as well as manmade disasters like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. These tragic events devasted the oyster environment in Mississippi. One of the key contributing factors helping to restore the oyster population is the work of Demi Johnson, an African American teenager who resides in Mississippi.
Demi’s conservation efforts started when she was a mere seventh grader. Her initial interest started when she was searching for a project to earn her Girl Scout badge. Demi stated in an interview with reporter John Yang, “So I found out about this from my Girl Scout leader. So, there’s a thing called a Silver Award, and you have to do a project for your community, something community based, and she kind of put it up in the air. She was like, ‘hey you can do oyster gardening at my pier.’ And I was like, okay, ‘I’ll do it. Like, it doesn’t sound too bad. And you know, it’s something easy for me to do.’”
No one could imagine at the time this would become a life changing endeavor for all involved – Demi, Mississippi and the greater community. Demi’s oyster conservation efforts have had a major significant ecological impact on Mississippi’s Gulf waters. Her project, centered on the cultivation of oysters at Schooner Pier in Biloxi, has contributed to the restoration of oyster reefs, which play an essential role in the marine ecosystem.
The restoration of oyster reefs is vital as they serve as natural water filters, removing pollutants from the water, and as protective barriers against storm surges. Moreover, oyster reefs provide habitat for a variety of marine life, thus supporting biodiversity. Demi’s project has directly contributed to these ecological benefits by producing 1,000 oysters which are expected to spawn millions more, enhancing the sustainability and health of the local marine environment.
Demi traveled to Washington, D.C. as one of the top 15 finalists for the Slingshot Challenge for her Mississippi Oyster Gardening Project. She became one of the award recipients. The top 15 were selected out of 2,100 submissions. Demi created a video titled “Off Bottom Oysters” and was up for the People’s Choice Award. She won the 2025 Significant Achievement Award for “Off Bottom Oysters” and won a $1,000 scholarship. She donated her winnings back to the Mississippi Oyster Gardening Program.
The Birmingham Times
Women’s History Special: Demi Johnson, Teenage Oyster Farmer
March is Women’s History Month, a time when we honor and celebrate the extraordinary contributions women have made and continue to make toward ma...
