Town partners with SUNY on oyster restoration project

The Town of Oyster Bay is partnering with the Research Foundation of the State University of New York at Stony Brook on a project aimed to boost oyster populations.

The project, called “Putting the Oyster Back in Oyster Bay,” is being funded by a $477,200 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and $308,500 in matching funds, according to a town statement.

Since oyster reefs in Oyster Bay-Cold Spring Harbor have been impacted by overharvesting, habitat loss and water quality degradation, the restoration project seeks to identify areas for enhanced oyster recruitment, survivorship and growth, and to develop a plan to establish self-sustaining oyster populations in Oyster Bay-Cold Spring Harbor.