11 Million New Oysters in New York Harbor (but None for You to Eat)

11 Million New Oysters in New York Harbor (but None for You to Eat)
By Karen Zraick, 12/10/21, New York Times

It may be another 100 years before anyone can safely eat an 
oyster from the waters, said Carrie Roble, VP for estuary 
and education at the Hudson River Park Trust’s River Project, 
a marine biology monitoring station on Pier 40, near 
West Houston Street.

But the oysters are a symbol of resilience, and a rare 
hopeful sign amid ominous news about New York waterways in 
the age of rapid climate change.

If they grow big enough, the oyster reefs can even play a 
role in dissipating wave energy, helping to protect the 
city’s shorelines from storm surges and flooding in 
extreme weather.  “They’re habitat-builders,” Ms. Roble said.

The newly deployed oysters are attached to over 200 subtidal 
habitats, including metal orbs, cages and mesh wraps, in the 
water between Piers 26 and 34, off TriBeCa.

It’s the first large-scale habitat restoration within the 
Hudson River Park’s estuarine sanctuary, an area where fresh 
water from the river & saltwater from the Atlantic Ocean mix & 
create a nutrient-rich ecosystem for over 85 species of fish.

Ms. Roble noted that the estuary is a crucial incubator for 
regional waterways, & that many types of fish migrate thru the 
area or spawn there. Striped bass caught in Connecticut or New 
Jersey likely spent time in the Hudson when they were young.

And more vibrant marine life leads to exponential growth. 
For example, big populations of menhaden, a small silver 
fish, attract humpback whales that feed on them.

The $1.5 million project was designed by the Hudson River 
Park Trust, the New York State Dept of Environmental 
Conservation and the engineering firm Moffatt and Nichol, 
using state funding.

The “seeded” oysters came from the Billion Oyster Project, 
a nonprofit with a mission to make its name a reality in 
NY Harbor by 2035. The group says it has already restored 
75 million oysters to the area since its founding in 2014.

“Nobody’s really done this before,” Kevin Quinn, senior VP 
of design & construction for Hudson River Park, said in an 
interview last month as workers prepared to lower more of 
the oyster homes into the water. “It’s exciting. I hope 
we get to do it again.”

The installation of the underwater habitats began in July & 
was set to conclude on Friday. Together, they create a 
reef-like system that acts as a corridor for fish & a home 
for more oysters, mussels and barnacles.

In addition to the millions of young oysters, which are 
known as spat, 600 adult oysters were also installed. They 
came from a program established during the pandemic to help 
oyster farmers who saw biz drop because of restaurant closures.

“Usually we’re building the piers,” said John O’Neill, a 
supervisor for Reicon Group, the contractor that installed 
the oyster apparatuses. “This is an experiment in 
environmental conservation.”

Riverkeeper, a nonprofit that has fought to restore the 
Hudson since the 60s, also helped to conceive of the project.

“Oysters represent a keystone species in our estuaries with 
immense ecological value,” the group’s senior habitat 
restoration manager, George Jackman, said in a statement.

“Along with reducing sewage overflows, adding oyster reefs & 
other bivalves is one of the best ways to restore the health 
& maintain the biodiversity of the Hudson River Estuary.”

The researchers at the River Project will track the oysters 
& their effect on the water. They run a small, free aquarium 
at Pier 40 that's designed expressly to educate the public 
about the abundant marine life in the area.

One very special oyster, named Big, lives under the pier. 
At 8.6 inches & 1.9 lbs, it was believed to be the biggest 
oyster found in New York Harbor in a century when it was 
discovered in 2018. Big has grown only slightly since then, 
but it is doing well, River Project staff members said after 
measuring & examining it during a recent tour.

One challenge for the educators at the River Project is 
driving home to visitors who learn about the oysters that 
they aren't safe to eat. The city still releases untreated 
sewage into the waterways during periods of heavy rain, 
introducing dangerous bacteria.

And that’s in addition to the legacy of industrial pollutants 
that were released on a continuous basis until the 70s, 
including PCBs, from factories up the river. Oysters are 
incredibly productive filterers — an adult can filter up to 
50 gallons a day — but they can't filter out heavy metals & PCBs.

“There’s still a ways to go for us to be able to eat 
the oysters,” Ms. Roble said.

But she said the underwater contraptions, which can easily 
be pulled up to show to visitors, help people to understand 
the world below the water’s surface, and to feel invested 
in protecting it.  “We want the community to really 
participate,” she said.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/10/us/oysters-new-york-hudson-river.html