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Oysters were everywhere when Dutch Colonials settled in New York, and all the way through the
nineteenth century was considered the "Oyster Capital of the World." It was estimated that the city's
harbor once had 220,000 acres of oyster beds, which accounted for nearly half of the world's oyster
production. It was also suggested that New Yorkers ate about one million oysters per day.
Discarded shells piled up on the streets of New York City in what were called middens. When the
island was being developed, there were so many oyster middens in New York City, that much of
the infrastructure was literally built on top of them. In fact, Pearl Street in Manhattan was named
after a midden, and later paved with oyster shells. Oyster shells were ground into mortar paste for
construction projects, such as Trinity Church.
The last commercial oyster bed in New York City closed in 1927 due to overharvesting and pollution.
The passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972 was the first step in making the water viable for marine
habitats. In 2000 the water in the harbor was clean enough to sustain life again, and in 2014, the Billion
Oyster Project was founded by Murray Fisher and Pete Malinowski.
Fisher and Malinowski launched the Billion Oyster Project with a vision of a healthy, biodiverse New
York Harbor-and a shared belief that restoration without education is temporary. It is a New York
City-based nonprofit organization with the goal of engaging people in all five boroughs in the effort to
restore one billion oysters to New York Harbor by 2035.
A reason to "shellebrate"…
Restoring oyster reefs in
New York Harbor
OYSTERS FILTER WATER:
Oysters are filter feeders, they serve as
a natural water filter, with a number of
beneficial effects for the ecosystem. An
adult oyster can filter up to 50 gallons
of water a day!
OYSTER REEFS FOSTER BIODIVERSITY:
Reefs are to the ocean what trees are to
the forest; oyster reefs provide a lively
habitat for hundreds of species.
NATURAL STORM BARRIER:
Green infrastructure can be seen in
living shoreline and living breakwater
projects. Oyster reef systems soften the
blow of large waves, reducing flooding,
and preventing erosion.
In addition to REEF RESTORATION, the Billion Oyster Project performs
the following work:
EDUCATION is a critical component to their success. They engage with New
York City students through K-12 STEM curriculum, and The Urban Assembly
New York Harbor School, a public high school focused on preparing students
for maritime careers.
The SHELL COLLECTION PROGRAM gives restaurants an opportunity
to divert shells from landfills and provides a valuable resource for the
restoration. In the wild, young oysters must settle on a hard surface to survive.
After reef installation, OYSTER MONITORING is critical to future success.
The Billion Oyster Project tests restoration methods and collects data to
create scalable best practices for oyster reef restoration in challenging
environments.
The COMMUNITY WATER QUALITY TESTING program engages community
scientists in weekly testing of New York Harbor water for bacteria that can be
harmful to humans.
Why oysters? How?
Pearls: ©Fetullah Mercan / Shutterstock.com Oyster illustrations: ©Maximilia / Shutterstock.com