From: imbibe@mindspring.com   
      
   11 Million New Oysters in New York Harbor (but None for You to Eat)   
   By Karen Zraick, 12/10/21, New York Times   
      
   It may be another 100 years before anyone can safely eat an    
   oyster from the waters, said Carrie Roble, VP for estuary    
   and education at the Hudson River Park Trust’s River Project,    
   a marine biology monitoring station on Pier 40, near    
   West Houston Street.   
      
   But the oysters are a symbol of resilience, and a rare    
   hopeful sign amid ominous news about New York waterways in    
   the age of rapid climate change.   
      
   If they grow big enough, the oyster reefs can even play a    
   role in dissipating wave energy, helping to protect the    
   city’s shorelines from storm surges and flooding in    
   extreme weather.  “They’re habitat-builders,” Ms. Roble said.   
      
   The newly deployed oysters are attached to over 200 subtidal    
   habitats, including metal orbs, cages and mesh wraps, in the    
   water between Piers 26 and 34, off TriBeCa.   
      
   It’s the first large-scale habitat restoration within the    
   Hudson River Park’s estuarine sanctuary, an area where fresh    
   water from the river & saltwater from the Atlantic Ocean mix &    
   create a nutrient-rich ecosystem for over 85 species of fish.   
      
   Ms. Roble noted that the estuary is a crucial incubator for    
   regional waterways, & that many types of fish migrate thru the    
   area or spawn there. Striped bass caught in Connecticut or New    
   Jersey likely spent time in the Hudson when they were young.   
      
   And more vibrant marine life leads to exponential growth.    
   For example, big populations of menhaden, a small silver    
   fish, attract humpback whales that feed on them.   
      
   The $1.5 million project was designed by the Hudson River    
   Park Trust, the New York State Dept of Environmental    
   Conservation and the engineering firm Moffatt and Nichol,    
   using state funding.   
      
   The “seeded” oysters came from the Billion Oyster Project,    
   a nonprofit with a mission to make its name a reality in    
   NY Harbor by 2035. The group says it has already restored    
   75 million oysters to the area since its founding in 2014.   
      
   “Nobody’s really done this before,” Kevin Quinn, senior VP    
   of design & construction for Hudson River Park, said in an    
   interview last month as workers prepared to lower more of    
   the oyster homes into the water. “It’s exciting. I hope    
   we get to do it again.”   
      
   The installation of the underwater habitats began in July &    
   was set to conclude on Friday. Together, they create a    
   reef-like system that acts as a corridor for fish & a home    
   for more oysters, mussels and barnacles.   
      
   In addition to the millions of young oysters, which are    
   known as spat, 600 adult oysters were also installed. They    
   came from a program established during the pandemic to help    
   oyster farmers who saw biz drop because of restaurant closures.   
      
   “Usually we’re building the piers,” said John O’Neill, a    
   supervisor for Reicon Group, the contractor that installed    
   the oyster apparatuses. “This is an experiment in    
   environmental conservation.”   
      
   Riverkeeper, a nonprofit that has fought to restore the    
   Hudson since the 60s, also helped to conceive of the project.   
      
   “Oysters represent a keystone species in our estuaries with    
   immense ecological value,” the group’s senior habitat    
   restoration manager, George Jackman, said in a statement.   
      
   “Along with reducing sewage overflows, adding oyster reefs &    
   other bivalves is one of the best ways to restore the health    
   & maintain the biodiversity of the Hudson River Estuary.”   
      
   The researchers at the River Project will track the oysters    
   & their effect on the water. They run a small, free aquarium    
   at Pier 40 that's designed expressly to educate the public    
   about the abundant marine life in the area.   
      
   One very special oyster, named Big, lives under the pier.    
   At 8.6 inches & 1.9 lbs, it was believed to be the biggest    
   oyster found in New York Harbor in a century when it was    
   discovered in 2018. Big has grown only slightly since then,    
   but it is doing well, River Project staff members said after    
   measuring & examining it during a recent tour.   
      
   One challenge for the educators at the River Project is    
   driving home to visitors who learn about the oysters that    
   they aren't safe to eat. The city still releases untreated    
   sewage into the waterways during periods of heavy rain,    
   introducing dangerous bacteria.   
      
   And that’s in addition to the legacy of industrial pollutants    
   that were released on a continuous basis until the 70s,    
   including PCBs, from factories up the river. Oysters are    
   incredibly productive filterers — an adult can filter up to    
   50 gallons a day — but they can't filter out heavy metals & PCBs.   
      
   “There’s still a ways to go for us to be able to eat    
   the oysters,” Ms. Roble said.   
      
   But she said the underwater contraptions, which can easily    
   be pulled up to show to visitors, help people to understand    
   the world below the water’s surface, and to feel invested    
   in protecting it.  “We want the community to really    
   participate,” she said.   
      
   https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/10/us/oysters-new-york-hudson-river.html   
      
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