A pearl of an effort at Jamaica Bay estuary
Congressman Anthony Weiner (D-Queens and Brooklyn), the National Park Service, SUNY Stony Brook, the state Department of Environmental Conservation and Jamaica Bay Eco Watchers announced plans Monday to launch the first efforts to reintroduce oysters to Jamaica Bay.
The three-year study, which will cost $155,000, will determine if native oyster larvae are present in Jamaica Bay and whether oysters can grow and survive in its waters. Assuming the growing conditions are adequate, a full-scale oyster restoration project would begin. Experts estimate it would take two to three years for oysters to mature into adults.
Over a hundred years ago, the bay was replete with oysters. Overharvesting, combined with toxic pollution and a particularly damaging hurricane in 1938, wiped out the oyster population. The bi-valves are known as efficient filters that can go through 50 gallons of water per day. They consume algae, reduce nitrogen levels and increase oxygen levels in the water. Additional oxygen and less nitrogen would help fish, plants and other animals thrive, experts said.
“Bringing oysters back to the bay is one of the best things we can do for the estuary ecosystem,” Weiner said. “After over a century of absence, it’s time for oysters to return to Jamaica Bay.”
–– Lisa Fogarty
©Queens Chronicle 2009
