Over 250,000 adult oysters were added to the Town of Oyster Bay’s shellfish hatchery on Nov. 22, a significant boost to local restoration efforts under the Supporting Oyster Aquaculture and Restoration program. The initiative, a partnership between the Nature Conservancy and Pew Charitable Trust as well as national organizations like the Department of Agriculture, began during the Coronavirus pandemic to address surplus oysters from farmers by repurposing them for environmental restoration.
“This is a really cool collaboration and initiative,” said Colin Bell, deputy commissioner of environmental resources for the town. “An important distinction here is that these are adult oysters, so they’re less subject to predation and have a lower mortality rate.”
The SOAR program has distributed oysters across eight states, including New York, to support conservation efforts. In Oyster Bay, the new additions will complement existing projects, including the town’s shellfish seeding, which placed approximately six million juvenile shellfish in the harbor this year.
Christine Suter, director of Friends of the Bay, highlighted the importance of this multifaceted approach.
“Before this shipment came in we were able to use the shell recycling program to put down a layer of shells that the town’s been collecting,” she said. “This not only creates a solid foundation but also helps oysters naturally attach, further strengthening the ecosystem.”
The town’s shell recycling program, a cornerstone of these efforts, collected 4,000 pounds of shells at this year’s Oyster Festival. The reclaimed shells play a critical role in creating a stable seabed, enhancing the survival rates of the newly introduced oysters.
Oysters provide numerous environmental benefits, including improving water quality by filtering out pollutants and creating habitats for marine life. They also bolster coastal resilience by mitigating erosion.
“Oysters are remarkably hardy,” said Zack Greenberg, an environmental officer at Pew Charitable Trust. “They thrive in tidal cycles and contribute to water filtration, habitat creation, and even coastal protection.”
The timing of the initiative was deliberate.
“Fall is an ideal season for deploying adult oysters,” said Greenberg. “We’re past the busy summer months, and farmers can work with us before winterizing their stock.”
Ongoing monitoring will track the success of the program. The town collaborates with environmental consultants and Friends of the Bay to measure oyster growth, mortality rates, and population density every six months.
