One million new spat-on-shell baby oysters were welcomed to their new residence in Manhasset Bay on Tuesday, June 3.
This is the fourth summer that North Hempstead added 1 million oysters to Manhasset Bay, bringing the total seeded oysters to 5 million.
The oysters were introduced into the bay by North Hempstead Town Council Member Mariann Dalimonte, officials from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County and Bay Constable Mal Nathan and his team.
The program was spearheaded by Dalimonte, in partnership with the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, with the goal of restoring the water quality of Manhasset Bay through the reintroduction and establishment of oyster beds.
“I have loved Manhasset Bay since I was a child, but nitrogen pollution has had a significantly adverse effect on its water quality,” Dalimonte said. “Studies have shown that oysters have an impressive role to play in restoring water quality due to their filter-feeding capabilities; they can filter up to 50 gallons of water a day. Thank you to our wonderful partners at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County for lending the expertise to the town and for caring so deeply about our local environment.”
The plans to embark on this project first began in January 2020, when Dalimonte started exploring the idea of reintroducing oysters into the bay as a means of helping the environment. At the Town Board meeting on April 28, 2022, Dalimonte offered the resolution to embark on this project, which was unanimously approved.
Over the last three years, Dalimonte, North Hempstead Bay Constables and members of the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County team have continually assessed the reintroduced oyster population.
They noted that the oysters were not only alive, but they had grown since they were planted in the summer of 2022. The positive status report allowed the town to make the decision to move forward with reintroducing an additional one million oysters in July 2023, June 2024 and now June 2025 as well.
Dalimonte and the team from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County will continue to assess the oyster population in the coming months as the program progresses.
