Oysters pump water through their gills, filtering toxic particles. Once ubiquitous in New York Harbor, they have nearly disappeared due to overfishing, pollution, and habitat loss. Restoring oysters is critical to healthier waterways.
Oysters pump water through their gills, filtering toxic particles. Once ubiquitous in New York Harbor, they have nearly disappeared due to overfishing, pollution, and habitat loss. Restoring oysters is critical to healthier waterways.
In the 17th century, oyster beds covered an estimated 220,000 acres of the New York Harbor estuary bottom. As the city grew, so too did oyster consumption – penny-a-piece oyster carts crowded the waterfront and everyone ate them, rich and poor. Over time, however, waterfront development, overfishing, dredging, industrial toxins, and waste dumped directly into the harbor decimated the oyster population.
Oyster reefs provide important habitat for fish, crabs, worms, and other animals. Oysters are also prolific filter feeders that remove organic and inorganic toxins from the water column. In other words, more oysters equal better water quality.
Since 2014, Billion Oyster Project, a combined education and restoration initiative, has worked to reintroduce this keystone species and restore the NY harbor to be a rich, diverse, and abundant estuary. They have planted 45 million oysters in the harbor, restoring 12 acres of habitat at 15 reef sites, with the help of more than 6,000 students and 10,000 volunteers.