On a sunny October 11th, the Sayville Rotary clubbed wrapped up the 2023 Oyster Project by planting the oysters raised at the Sayville Yacht Club in a sanctuary off of East Islip. Working together with Cornell Cooperative Extension and Save the Great South Bay, 25ft3 of oysters were planted in two (2) reefs approximately 25 feet apart. The reefs are planted in uncertified waters which means that it is illegal to harvest shellfish growing there. Water certification depends on the water cleanliness and oysters are the most efficient and one of the heartier natural filters of water around Long Island. Over time, reefs built in uncertified waters will result in the improvement of water quality and the eventual certification of more of the bay. The goal is that as these reefs mature, they will work as spawner sanctuaries to help rebuild the native oyster population in the Great South Bay. Previous plantings in this area have resulted in oysters over 8 inches in length.The first reef of approximately 15ft3., was made out of the oysters raised by STGSB and Sayville Rotary as part of Cornell's Oyster CARE project (Community Aquaculture Research and Education). In this, local partners raise oysters from seeded spat until the oysters are at least 1.5 inches long. Not only does raising oysters like this allow for us to see their life cycle, most importantly it means that the protected environment protects them in the most dangerous part of their life. Over 90% of predation oysters face is when they are less than 1.5 inches long. As they grow, the shells become harder protecting them from predators such as crabs and starfish.
These natural oyster clusters will interlock creating a stable reef as they continue growing. These reefs are not only a giant water filter but one of the most important sources of habitat in our waters. Shrimp, crabs and numerous juvenile fish use the crevices for protection and feeding. Come spawning season, the reef structure ensures fertilization of the eggs as well as a solid base for future generations to grow on.
The second reef was built from 10ft3 of freshly seeded Spat on Shell from Cornell Cooperative. This is the same feedstock that the CARE program distributes in the early summer for growing. These oysters were only set at the end of September and are about 2 mm long. The advantage of planting both so close together is that we can monitor the growth and effectiveness of different restoration methods side by side. This additional spat also allowed for the full utilization of the planting amount allowed by the NYS DEC.
For the full season, Sayville Rotary raised approximately 48 thousand adult oysters to plant in our local waters along with an additional 12 thousand from Save the Great South Bay. We are excited about the success of this project and would like to make a special thank you to all 178 volunteers we had this year who helped us, the Sayville Yacht Club for the generous support and providing us with a home site to work with and Cornell Cooperative's Demetrios Caroussos for all of his technical support and knowledge. We could not have done this without you.
Authored by,
Drew Baldwin
Past President, Current Asst. Community Director of Sayville Rotary
