NY/NJ Baykeeper Deploys Oyster Reefs Off Leonardo Marina

LEONARDO, NJ — Oysters are once again thriving in Raritan Bay! Earlier this week, divers and marine biologists with New York/New Jersey Baykeeper installed several dozen more of their "oyster castles" along the shoreline in Raritan Bay, just off Leonardo Marina.

The oyster reefs are concrete beds that have living oysters on them. Not only do oysters filter and clean the water, but they also can protect the coastline against erosion, serve as speed bumps for waves during storms and become a natural habitat for marine life.

And ever since the Baykeeper started reintroducing oysters back into this area two decades ago, the oysters have been thriving: In November of last year, the group found its oysters were naturally reproducing on the man-made reef for the first time. The millions of oysters NY/NJ Baykeeper placed on the reef had grown and spawned, resulting in larvae settling back on the reef – all indicators of a healthy habitat in Raritan Bay.

“The idea was to see if oysters could survive, and if so could we bring back this important species,” said Baykeeper Restoration Program Director Meredith Comi. “They did, in fact, survive and the oyster gardening program was borne out of that ... Ultimately, we are testing restoration methods in an urban area that we hope can be replicated in other urban estuaries."

"The big picture is all about fortifying our coasts and increasing habitat for other important species in our waters," she added. "We always say that if we can do this work here, we can do it anywhere.”

On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week, approximately 1.5 million juvenile oysters were transported from Leonardo State Marina aboard the Baykeeper patrol boat and taken to the Living Shoreline at Naval Weapons Station Earle. There, the fledgling oysters were placed by scientists into pre-selected spots in Raritan Bay.

NY/NJ Baykeeper cultivates juvenile oysters at Earle, where the oyster larvae are grown and then released on the oyster reefs.

All photos provided by NY/NJ Baykeeper