1 Million Baby Oysters Added To Manhasset Bay In Latest Restoration Effort

OYSTER BAY, NY — One million baby oysters were added to Manhasset Bay on July 30 as part of the area's fifth annual oyster-seeding program.

The new spat-on-shell oysters join more than four million already seeded in Manhasset Bay as part of an ongoing effort to restore the bay's water quality and establish oyster beds.

North Hempstead Town Council Member Mariann Dalimonte, officials from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, and North Hempstead's Bay Constables welcomed the new oysters to the bay.

"I have loved Manhasset Bay since I was a child, but nitrogen pollution has had a significantly adverse effect on its water quality," Dalimonte said. said Council Member Dalimonte, adding the initiative was acollaborate effort. "Together, we're making a lasting investment in the health of our waterways."

Dalimonte initially explored the idea in January 2020. At an April 28, 2022, Town Board meeting, she received unanimous approval to begin the project.

Since then, Dalimonte, North Hempstead Bay Constables, and members of the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County team have regularly monitored the reintroduced oyster population.

Officials have found that the oysters have survived and continued to grow, allowing the Town to continue adding new oysters to the bay each summer.

The restoration effort has also received additional financial support. The program was recently boosted by $100,000 in grant funding secured by Congressman Tom Suozzi, which helped fund the addition of another 500,000 spat-on-shell oysters.

Suozzi also secured a $300,000 federal appropriation for the larger restoration program, which calls for 5 million spat-on-shell oysters to be planted over three years, from 2024 through 2026. The oysters are being divided evenly among Manhasset Bay, Hempstead Harbor, and Oyster Bay/Cold Spring Harbor.

The latest addition is part of a broader effort to rebuild oyster populations in local waterways. As the oysters mature, officials will continue monitoring their growth and the health of the restored beds.

Oysters can play an important role in coastal ecosystems, and the teams will continue assessing the oyster population in the coming months as the restoration program moves forward.