Oyster Bay Harbor, Cold Spring Harbor, and Mill Neck Creek are now home to four shellfish sanctuaries and three marine management areas, all of which will ban or limit the clam and oyster harvesting in the bay’s underwater land. The establishment of the sites was announced by Friends of the Bay, an Oyster Bay-based non-profit organization, on Wednesday, Oct. 8, the day that the protections went into effect.
“We’re at a point with really seriously declining shellfish populations, especially oysters, and there really needed to be sections of the bay where shellfish were seeded and left undisturbed,” said Friends of the Bay Executive Director Christine Suter.
The protections went into effect earlier this month, but it had been a goal of the non-profit’s for over 10 years, Suter said. She said the organization brought a proposal to the town about five years ago.
Suter said Friends of the Bay collaborated with the Town of Oyster Bay, Oyster Bay-Cold Spring Harbor Protection Committee, and North Oyster Bay Baymen’s Association to establish the protected lands.
“These changes represent an important investment in the future of our harbors. By protecting critical habitats today, we are ensuring a healthy, sustainable resource for the community tomorrow,” said Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino.
Suter said the groups also worked with scientists from Adelphi University and Stony Brook University, which had researched the best place for sanctuaries in the bay based on factors like water flow.
The new sanctuaries, totaling 185 acres, are permanently off-limits for harvesting. Suter said the shellfish populations in the bay have been steadily declining and a state Department of Environmental Conversation report showed only 12 bushels of oysters were harvested from Oyster Bay Harbor in 2024.
There are additional marine management areas, which Suter said may be “conditionally opened for harvesting” if granted approval by the DEC and the Town of Oyster Bay. There are three marine management areas, totaling 372 acres.
Suter said that if protected, the shellfish can form “oyster reefs,” which provide shelter and habitat for other species in the bay. She said shellfish also filter up to 50 gallons of water a day, which benefits the whole environment.
The shellfish sanctuaries were implemented following the town’s shellfish harvesting moratorium, which banned any form of harvesting in a portion of the bay previously leased to Frank M. Flower and Sons shellfishing company. The company had exclusive rights to a 1,850 acres of underwater land until Sept. 30, 2024.
Suter said Flower & Sons had operated a shellfish hatchery that produced 50 million oyster seed and 50 million clam seed annually, but it was closed in 2019 while the company continued to harvest.
On Oct. 1, 2024, the town implemented the moratorium for six months — later extending it another six months — to test and repopulate the land. Currently, none of the bay bottom is under lease.
Suter said approximately 6.2% of the underwater land is not protected by sanctuaries and marine management areas, while 92.8% of the bay bottom is open to independent baymen and the public, she said.
On Friday, Oct. 10, the town added a half million clam and oyster seeds to the sanctuaries, which are grown in the town’s hatchery until they are ready to be put into the bay.
“Oyster Bay Harbor is one of the crown jewels of our town, and we are proud to be doing more than ever before to improve its water quality,” Saladino said.
“Over the past several years, we’ve placed millions of baby clam and oyster shells into our local waterways, making great strides to improve water quality and bolster the shellfish population. These efforts help preserve the natural beauty of our local waterways for generations to come,” added Council Member Lou Imbroto.
