Oyster Restoration
The Shellfish Restoration Program is a hands-on project. Volunteers assist in the growing of the shellfish seed and placing them into protected sanctuaries. Coastal Steward Long Island has been restoring shellfish since the year 2000. Our program has released more than 1 million adult shellfish into Port Jefferson and Mt. Sinai Harbors. Our goal is to establish a self-sustaining population of oysters in our harbors.
Generally, shellfish seed (usually oysters), bay scallops, or clams are donated or purchased. When we first get the oysters, they are only an eighth to a quarter of an inch in size, and they are put into protective cages. Volunteers may aid in the biweekly cleaning of the tanks. At which time, data is collected to determine water temperature, growth rates, and more.
80,000 oyster / year
10 yrs in our harbors
The American oysters that we use are from a disease resistant strain, which is genetically marked by the black stripes on their shell. The marker is found naturally as well, but in very low numbers; therefore, we can gauge our success in oyster growth based on how many black striped oysters we observe. The results of our efforts throughout the years have shown success. Initial surveys indicate that 95% of the oysters found at low tide have black stripes.
Continuing the shellfish restoration project is critical to establishing a self-sustaining population of disease resistant oysters. Water quality also benefits from this project, since an adult oyster can filter more than 50 gallons of water per day, thus removing organic and inorganic material from the water column. The oysters are released into sanctuaries that CSLI has created with while working closely with the Town of Brookhaven. They supply us with the oyster seed and a facility to place and operate our systems, including our boat, three aquaculture platforms, hundreds of shellfish cages, a storage trailer, and more.