Rebar reefs with bags of seed oysters attached are placed in Raritan Bay by project staff for the Keyport Harbor Reef Project spearheaded by the NY/NJ Baykeeper in 2009. The Keyport-based NY/NJ Baykeeper will restart its oyster restoration project in the Raritan Bay in October after receiving approval from the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The Baykeeper received approval on Sept. 8 to place oyster cages at Naval Weapons Station Earle in Leonardo to conduct scientific research about the viability of oysters in the Raritan Bay.
“Historically this area was known for its oystering, but unfortunately oysters are extinct in the Raritan Bay,” Debbie Mans, executive director of Baykeeper, said. “This project is to determine if the oysters can survive and grow in this part of the Raritan Bay.”
The cages filled with seed oysters will be placed off the pier at Earle and will be monitored throughout the winter and into the spring.
“We are hoping they survive and they grow. This will be an indicator for us to begin a bigger restoration project,” Mans said.
The Baykeeper has been working with Earle and the DEP for several months to receive the necessary approvals, she said.
“We contacted Earle first and broached the idea. The Navy and Captain Dave Harrison at Earle were very supportive,” Mans said. “Then we set up a meeting with the DEP several months ago to talk about the feasibility of giving us the permits.”
Mans said the Baykeeper had also reached out to Sen. Joseph Kyrillos (R- 13th District), who helped with communications with the DEP.
“We reached out to him as soon as we started having trouble with the state. His working on our behalf was extremely helpful,” Mans said.
In 2010 the DEP ordered the Baykeeper to end its oyster restoration project in Keyport over concerns that oysters used for ecological restoration could be poached and sold to consumers, which could create a public health problem.
According to DEP Commissioner Bob Martin, the goal at the time was to safeguard the public health, and protect the health and viability of the state’s $790 million-a-year shellfish industry, which includes many small businesses that employ hundreds of state residents, providing incomes for thousands of people and creating needed tax revenues for New Jersey.
Baykeeper proposed placing the oyster cages at Earle, which is under 24/7 security, which eliminates any poaching risk.
“Given the concerns the state had expressed related to poaching, we knew there was a security element at Earle that might address those concerns,” Mans said.
Martin said that with security concerns addressed, the Baykeeper’s research can continue.
“With the help of the Navy and cooperation of the Food and Drug Administration, we can now allow the Baykeeper’s research on oysters to continue and their potential benefits to the estuary’s ecology and water quality to be scientifically explored,” said Martin in a press release.
“At the same time, we can adhere to federal health and safety mandates, taking precautions to prevent contaminated oysters from getting into the public food supply, while we prioritize our conservation patrols to protect our very important, nationally recognized shellfish industry in New Jersey.”
Martin stressed that the Baykeeper’s oyster project must not harm the existing hard-clam resources in the area near the Naval station, which is located in the Raritan-Sandy Hook bays.
The area is home to a significant hard-clam fishery that contributes substantially to the state’s economy.
“The department initially had some concerns about the possible displacement of a thriving hard-clam resource in favor of oysters in a security zone,” said Amy Cradic, DEP assistant commissioner for natural and historic resources.
“We have offered assistance to the Baykeeper in site selection and were able to identify ecologically appropriate areas for the research that do not negatively impact the hard-clam population.”
The department has the responsibility to consider long-term implications of all shellfish projects, she said.