An oyster attached to a clamshell was among the 3,600 oysters placed in Raritan Bay on Oct. 6. ERIC SUCAR staff The Keyport-based NY/NJ Baykeeper placed 3,600 oysters back into the Raritan Bay on Oct. 6, signaling the restart of its oyster restoration project.
The project, which is being conducted from Naval Weapons Station Earle in Leonardo, will determine if the oysters, which are ecologically extinct in this area, can survive and help restore the health of local waters.
“We hope the rate of survival is 70 percent,” Beth Ravit, Rutgers environmental scientist, explained to a group assembled on a pier at the naval base. “It would tell us the waters can support survival.”
Using 18 lantern nets, a mix of individual oysters and seed oysters attached to clam shells were lowered into Raritan Bay from six platforms on the pier.
“Each platform has three nets with 200 oysters in each net,” Ravit said. “We used three platforms on the [east] side of the pier and three on the [west] side of the pier. One side is more open and has more [wave] energy and the other side is more protected, so we want to see how they survive.”
Dr. Beth Ravit, an instructor of environmental science at Rutgers University, and Frank Steinmle, a volunteer with the NY/NJ Baykeeper, show a net filled with seed oysters that was lowered into the bay from the pier at Naval Weapons Station Earle in Leonardo, Oct. 6. PHOTOS BY ERIC SUCAR staff She said use of loose and spat-onshell oysters rather than just one type is to determine which has a better chance of survival.
The spat-on-shell oysters are oyster larvae that are put into holding tanks with clamshells and allowed to attach to the shell, she said.
“We want to see which ones survive. If setting them first means more will survive, then we need to know that,” Ravit said.
Also, using the spat-on-shell oysters could be beneficial because it is more difficult for predators to eat them, she said.
“Crabs can get into the nets but would have to nibble on the oysters. The flat surface of the spat-on-shell makes it harder,” Ravit said. She also said that it would be more difficult for poachers to use these oysters for commercial use, a main concern for the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection, which had forced Baykeeper to remove its oyster reefs in Keyport Harbor 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.
DEP Commissioner Bob Martin said at that time the goal was to safeguard the public health and protect the health and viability of the state’s $790 million-a-year shellfish industry.
Baykeeper proposed placing the oyster cages at Earle, which is under 24/7 security, eliminating any poaching risk.
Capt. Dave Harrison, commanding officer at Earle, was at the briefing and gave his full support to the project.
“It was an easy fit because we had the security element they were looking for,” Harrison said. “The obvious issue we had was the potential impact on our operations. There were none.” Harrison said he began talks with U.S. Navy officials to get the proper permissions and then began to work with the DEP and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to get the needed permits.
“We had to find out what the requirements were and come to an agreement,” Harrison said. “Things worked out, and we are happy to be standing here.”
Once the final permits were issued, the Baykeeper had only weeks to get the oysters ready for the water.
“We had four weeks to count and measure every oyster,” Ravit said. “We wanted to get them in the water before the winter.”
Like coral reefs, oyster reefs provide habitat for commercially and recreationally important fish, such as striped bass and flounder, and for many other marine organisms, according to the Baykeeper website.
Although the project in Keyport was shut down, the few months of research provided surprising results.
“We saw an increase in crab, finfish and other marine life,” Ravit said. “We hope that happens here.”
Oysters clean the ecosystem, acting as a natural water filter. As they feed, they remove suspended sediment and algae, improving water clarity and enhancing conditions for underwater grasses to grow.
Ravit said that if the project is successful, the next step would be to begin a larger project, hoping for “hundreds of thousands” to be placed in the water.
“We are satisfied that this location is highly secure. We are thrilled that the compromise that was reached … is supporting human health but at the same time is allowing for scientific research to move forward,” Ravit said. “I would like to see continued talks for the next step to begin now.”