Town Of North Hempstead’s Second Season Of Oyster Reintroduction

On July 18, new spat-on-shell baby oysters were introduced to Manhasset Bay and Hempstead Harbor. Town of North Hempstead

Councilmember Mariann Dalimonete has advocated for oyster reintroduction since 2020 when she started exploring the idea of reintroducing oysters into Manhasset Bay as a means of helping the environment.

Oysters feed by pumping water through their bodies, filtering phytoplankton, bacteria, and other small particles, improving the surrounding water quality. Oysters also grow in clusters to form reefs, which provide habitat and protection for many other species, helping to support marine biodiversity.

Councilmember Dalimonte has been working with officials from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, Bay Constable Mal Nathan and his team to welcome spat-on-shell oysters to Manhasset Bay while also working with the Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor to expand oyster gardening to North Hempstead Beach Park.

At the April 28, 2022, town board meeting, Councilmember Dalimonte offered the resolution to embark on this project in Manhasset Bay, which was unanimously approved. In August of 2022, Supervisor Jennifer DeSena, Councilmember Dalimonte and the rest of the Town Board, along with officials from the DEC and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, welcomed the spat-on-shell oysters to the bay.

According to the Town of North Hempstead, in the fall of 2022, Councilmember Dalimonte, North Hempstead Bay Constables, Associate Marine Program Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension Suffolk County Lorne Brousseau, and a diver took a boat out into Manhasset Bay to assess the reintroduced oyster population. They noted that the oysters were alive and had grown since they were planted in the summer of 2022. The positive status report allowed the town to decide to move forward with reintroducing an additional one million oysters, which took place on July 18.

“Words cannot express how thrilled I am that we have planted another million oysters in Manhasset Bay,” said Councilmember Dalimonte. “We have worked extraordinarily hard over the last couple of years to turn this program into a reality, and I am so pleased that it has been such a success thus far. I am immensely grateful for the hard work of Lorne Brousseau, Christopher Pickerell, and the entire team at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County. They have been wonderful partners throughout this entire project, and I look forward to continuing our work together.”

At the March 2023 town board meeting, Councilmember Dalimonte proposed adding oyster garden cages in North Hempstead Beach Park with the help of the Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor. This resolution added to the initiative aimed at revitalizing and restoring shellfish populations in the region. In June of this year, Councilmember Dalimonte, Councilmember Veronica Lurvey and Bay Constable Nathan joined with Martha Braun, project manager of the Oyster Gardening and Restoration at the Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor, to learn more about oyster gardening cages, including how to build them.

The Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor’s community oyster gardening program had oysters distributed to cages in Tappen Marina and at the Hempstead Harbour Club, Sea Cliff Yacht Club, and the newest site at North Hempstead Beach Park.

“The outlook for this year is very exciting because we know that the oysters we released last year are thriving in designated conservation management areas,” said project manager Braun. “We’re expanding this program to reestablish an invaluable ecological resource in Hempstead Harbor, and community members continue to step up to be directly involved in this work.”

According to the Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor, they expanded the program in 2023 to raise double the number of oysters and include adding a fourth site at North Hempstead Beach Park. The CSHH community oyster gardening program is now harborwide.

“I could not be more excited for this oyster gardening initiative in Hempstead Harbor,” said Councilmember Dalimonte. “The presence and maintenance of a flourishing oyster population will contribute to the reestablishment of marine habitats, the improvement of water quality, and ultimately the enhancement of a destination cherished by residents across the greater North Hempstead community.”

Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor volunteers work in teams at each location throughout the summer to keep the cages clean and track the oysters’ growth until they are mature enough to be released into the water. Once released, the oysters grown through this program can reproduce in a protected area and continue to increase their population.

Councilmember Dalimonte and the Cornell Cooperative Extension Suffolk County team will continue to assess the oyster population in the coming months as the program progresses in Manhasset Bay.

“It is imperative that government leaders do all that they can to enhance green spaces and create healthier ecosystems both on land and in the water,” added Councilmember Dalimonte. “Nitrogen pollution has posed a great threat to the water quality in Manhasset Bay, but studies have shown that oysters have an impressive role to play in restoring the water quality due to their filter-feeding capabilities. This has been a practical and innovative initiative that is very much in line with many of the town’s past environmental projects.”

—Information from the Town of North Hempstead and the Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor, compiled by Julie Prisco