Friends of the Bay deploys kelp cultivation lines in Oyster Bay
1/2/22
Friends of the Bay (FOB) has deployed several lines of kelp spores to cultivate kelp as a sustainable means of supporting the environment and the economy of Oyster Bay.
Placing the lines in two areas of Oyster Bay on Sunday, December 29, was part of a project with the Moore Family Charitable Foundation and its Lazy Point Farms LLC.
The kelp spores on the lines will grow into a brown seaweed known colloquially as “sugar kelp” that will continue to grow throughout the winter and be harvested next May.
FOB will be responsible for managing the two cultivation sites, collecting data on the growth and condition of the kelp, and water-quality monitoring. The Moore foundation is supporting the effort with a $2,000 donation to FOB.
Mitch Kramer, owner of TowBoatU.S. in Oyster Bay and FOB vice president, provided one of his boats, and he, employee Nick Casella and two volunteers, Leo Imperial and his 15-year-old son James, deployed the kelp lines. The materials from Lazy Point Farms were delivered to Oyster Bay from West Sayville by David Gugerty, a state Supreme Court justice from Bayville, who has been involved in kelp-growing experiments in the village for several years.
Kramer said the kelp spores came affixed to cotton strings that are wrapped around a cylinder “like a spool of kite string.” The rope on which the kelp is grown is fed through the cylinder and the cotton line with the spores is transferred from the cylinder and wrapped around the rope.
“This partnership with Lazy Point Farms will allow us to gather valuable information about kelp and its impact on water quality,” FOB Executive Director Heather Johnson said. “With kelp being grown at other locations on Long Island, it will be interesting to see all the results.” Click here to continue reading...
Placing the lines in two areas of Oyster Bay on Sunday, December 29, was part of a project with the Moore Family Charitable Foundation and its Lazy Point Farms LLC.
The kelp spores on the lines will grow into a brown seaweed known colloquially as “sugar kelp” that will continue to grow throughout the winter and be harvested next May.
FOB will be responsible for managing the two cultivation sites, collecting data on the growth and condition of the kelp, and water-quality monitoring. The Moore foundation is supporting the effort with a $2,000 donation to FOB.
Mitch Kramer, owner of TowBoatU.S. in Oyster Bay and FOB vice president, provided one of his boats, and he, employee Nick Casella and two volunteers, Leo Imperial and his 15-year-old son James, deployed the kelp lines. The materials from Lazy Point Farms were delivered to Oyster Bay from West Sayville by David Gugerty, a state Supreme Court justice from Bayville, who has been involved in kelp-growing experiments in the village for several years.
Kramer said the kelp spores came affixed to cotton strings that are wrapped around a cylinder “like a spool of kite string.” The rope on which the kelp is grown is fed through the cylinder and the cotton line with the spores is transferred from the cylinder and wrapped around the rope.
“This partnership with Lazy Point Farms will allow us to gather valuable information about kelp and its impact on water quality,” FOB Executive Director Heather Johnson said. “With kelp being grown at other locations on Long Island, it will be interesting to see all the results.” Click here to continue reading...
Photo credits: Leo Imperial
Photo credits: Dave Gugerty
Hundreds of Abandoned Lobster Traps to Be Removed in Joint Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, Friends of the Bay and Town of Oyster Bay Project
12/30/21
Hundreds of abandoned and derelict lobster traps that continue to catch and kill marine life in Long Island Sound off Oyster Bay will be removed over the next year by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County (CCE) in partnership with Friends of the Bay (FOB) and the Town of Oyster Bay.
A $115,841 grant will fund removal of derelict lobster gear from 18 square miles between New York and Connecticut. About two thirds of the traps to be removed – probably more than 600 – are off Oyster Bay and the remainder will be removed off the Connecticut shore.
When all of the arrangements are finalized, hopefully by early next year, the traps located off Oyster Bay in a side-scan sonar survey arranged by FOB will be removed by a lobstermen hired by CCE and monitored by its employees to make sure they are eligible for removal under the terms of the organization’s permit from the state Department of Environmental Conservation. FOB’s remote drone camera may be used to survey the traps before they are brought to the surface to expedite the project.
The traps will be collected in 20 trips and brought to shore in Oyster Bay to be stored by the Town of Oyster Bay at a site to be determined for a month to allow any fisherman who lost the gear to reclaim it before it is recycled.
The project is one of 39 totaling $5.4 million to be funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to enable environmental improvements around Long Island Sound.
The genesis of the project was a side-scan sonar survey that volunteer Ben Roberts of Amagansett, founder of Eastern Search & Survey, conducted for FOB in September 2020. Where there is a dropoff in depth to 60 or 70 feet, his equipment identified more than 700 targets which may be abandoned and/or illegal traps in the Sound east and west of Lloyd Point off the entrance to Oyster Bay and Cold Spring Harbor.
CCE said in a statement that it “is grateful for the support from The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Long Island Sound Futures Fund as it ensures that our critical work to protect and enhance the environment continues. This funding enables our experts to work to restore the health of the Long Island Sound by removing floating debris and derelict lobster gear that negatively impact our waters and a once thriving lobster industry.”
FOB President Bill Bleyer said that “this project will have a positive impact in solving an environmental problem that few people realize exists. These abandoned traps continue to attract and ultimately kill a large amount of marine life.”
Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino stated that “the removal of these ghost traps from Long Island Sound is a vital project for the health of the marine environment. We are happy to offer our resources in the spirit of teamwork to recycle and discard these abandoned traps.”
Riverhead-based CCE has been conducting a trap removal project on the North Shore of Long Island for 11 years. By partnering with commercial lobstermen with local knowledge, they are able to go out on the Sound and grapple for traps that have been lost and have no buoys. They have recovered more than 20,000 traps so far. Once brought to the surface, they are checked for live organisms, and transported to land where they are temporarily stored for a month at local municipal sites. During that time, CCE, with help from the state DEC, attempts to contact any fisherman with identification tags remaining on the traps to see if they want them back. Through cooperative agreements, unclaimed traps are compacted by the local municipality and then loaded into receptacles donated by a metal recycling company. All non-recyclable debris is taken by Covanta Energy to be used through their waste-to-energy program. Occasionally waste traps have been used by artists for marine debris art installations.
A $115,841 grant will fund removal of derelict lobster gear from 18 square miles between New York and Connecticut. About two thirds of the traps to be removed – probably more than 600 – are off Oyster Bay and the remainder will be removed off the Connecticut shore.
When all of the arrangements are finalized, hopefully by early next year, the traps located off Oyster Bay in a side-scan sonar survey arranged by FOB will be removed by a lobstermen hired by CCE and monitored by its employees to make sure they are eligible for removal under the terms of the organization’s permit from the state Department of Environmental Conservation. FOB’s remote drone camera may be used to survey the traps before they are brought to the surface to expedite the project.
The traps will be collected in 20 trips and brought to shore in Oyster Bay to be stored by the Town of Oyster Bay at a site to be determined for a month to allow any fisherman who lost the gear to reclaim it before it is recycled.
The project is one of 39 totaling $5.4 million to be funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to enable environmental improvements around Long Island Sound.
The genesis of the project was a side-scan sonar survey that volunteer Ben Roberts of Amagansett, founder of Eastern Search & Survey, conducted for FOB in September 2020. Where there is a dropoff in depth to 60 or 70 feet, his equipment identified more than 700 targets which may be abandoned and/or illegal traps in the Sound east and west of Lloyd Point off the entrance to Oyster Bay and Cold Spring Harbor.
CCE said in a statement that it “is grateful for the support from The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Long Island Sound Futures Fund as it ensures that our critical work to protect and enhance the environment continues. This funding enables our experts to work to restore the health of the Long Island Sound by removing floating debris and derelict lobster gear that negatively impact our waters and a once thriving lobster industry.”
FOB President Bill Bleyer said that “this project will have a positive impact in solving an environmental problem that few people realize exists. These abandoned traps continue to attract and ultimately kill a large amount of marine life.”
Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino stated that “the removal of these ghost traps from Long Island Sound is a vital project for the health of the marine environment. We are happy to offer our resources in the spirit of teamwork to recycle and discard these abandoned traps.”
Riverhead-based CCE has been conducting a trap removal project on the North Shore of Long Island for 11 years. By partnering with commercial lobstermen with local knowledge, they are able to go out on the Sound and grapple for traps that have been lost and have no buoys. They have recovered more than 20,000 traps so far. Once brought to the surface, they are checked for live organisms, and transported to land where they are temporarily stored for a month at local municipal sites. During that time, CCE, with help from the state DEC, attempts to contact any fisherman with identification tags remaining on the traps to see if they want them back. Through cooperative agreements, unclaimed traps are compacted by the local municipality and then loaded into receptacles donated by a metal recycling company. All non-recyclable debris is taken by Covanta Energy to be used through their waste-to-energy program. Occasionally waste traps have been used by artists for marine debris art installations.
Image credit: Ben Roberts
Image Credits: CCE of Suffolk
Image credits: Bill Bleyer with Ben Roberts
A Letter from Friends of the Bay on our
Declining Shellfish Population
11/3/21
This letter is an alert to all who appreciate the ecological and scenic value of Oyster Bay and Cold Spring Harbor – those who enjoy the views, spend time on the beaches or cruising, sailing, fishing or paddling on the waterways.
Most residents know that regional water quality has been improving since environmental legislation was enacted in the 1970s, bringing upgraded sewage treatment and other strategies to reduce pollution.
But what many people in the area don’t know is that our shellfish population, particularly our namesake oysters, has suffered a serious decline. And fewer oysters and clams, which filter the water, means dirtier water and a threat to the livelihood of commercial harvesters and the health and enjoyment of recreational users.
To deal with the problem, several steps should be taken. Friends of the Bay’s leadership met recently with Town of Oyster Bay officials to share our recommendations on shellfish management. The town was very receptive to our suggestions and had already planned to implement many of them.
Friends of the Bay believes the following steps must be taken to improve the health of the bay and make the shellfish population sustainable for the long run:
• The amount of acreage that the town will make available for commercial shellfish harvesting from the bay bottom should be reduced under a new licensing plan to be implemented when the current lease expires in 2024. (The town currently leases approximately 1,500 acres to Frank M. Flower & Sons but envisions initially licensing only 150 acres -- outside the current lease area – even before 2024).
• The town should increase the number and size of shellfish sanctuaries where no commercial or recreational harvesting is allowed. Protected acreage must be of sufficient size and quality to support a sustainable shellfish population large enough to provide the ecological benefits of a healthy marine ecosystem – water filtration, reproduction to seed the rest of the bay, erosion control, and food and habitat for other species. (To date, the town has set aside only two small areas on the North Shore: a conservation management area in Oyster Bay and another in Cold Spring Harbor that includes a spawner sanctuary. While the town agrees with the importance of this step, the amount and location of sanctuary acreage would have to be determined.)
• The number of juvenile shellfish seeded into the bays by the town and shellfish growing license-holders needs to be increased. The quantity of seed should be based on the size of the area licensed. (The town has built a hatchery in Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park, an important step since Frank M. Flower & Sons shut down its Bayville hatchery and seeding program two years ago, stating that predators and uncertainty over the future of its town lease that expires in 2024 made the operation untenable. Former Flower partner David Relyea, a longtime FOB board member, purchased the hatchery property and donated all its equipment to the town. Two years ago, the town reported that it planted 2 million clams and 300,000 oysters. This year the town said it planted 10 million clams and 2 million oysters. The town has included funding in this year’s budget to expand the hatchery from 1,000 sq. ft. to 3,500 sq. ft. to allow it to produce 30 to 40 million shellfish seed a year, according to town officials. The town also plans to grow seed shellfish to a larger size than Flower did to help increase their chances of survival. The seed will be placed in sanctuaries and conservation management areas.)
• “Off-bottom aquaculture” (shellfish cultivation in bags or cages) must be allowed and encouraged to preserve Oyster Bay’s shellfish legacy without damaging the bay bottom. (The town issued a request for proposals to license 150 acres deemed unproductive for off-bottom aquaculture. That acreage is outside the 1,500 acres currently leased. The town is working with an entity that responded to the RFP. Additional acreage should be considered for off-bottom cultivation.)
• Any company or individual that receives a town license to cultivate shellfish should be required to provide seed to the town for planting in a designated sanctuary or conservation management area in Oyster Bay or Cold Spring Harbor in any year that they harvest. (As urged by Friends of the Bay, the town has included this requirement in its request for proposals for new licenses. This will prevent future growers from harvesting if they have not provided the required seed to help sustain the bay’s shellfish population.)
• Wetlands restoration and the creation of oyster reefs are needed to protect existing wetlands and reduce shore erosion. A town shell-recycling program to retrieve shells from restaurants should be the first step toward the creation of these oyster reefs. Recycled shells can help return unproductive bottom land to viable oyster habitat by providing a home for seed oysters. (The town agrees with the need for these initiatives and has been working towards them in cooperation with Friends of the Bay.)
• Creation of a comprehensive plan for managing the bay must be a top priority. Friends of the Bay has encouraged the town to create a bay management plan with an advisory committee of representatives from user groups, environmental organizations, and experts in bay management and water-based industries. (The town has been developing a plan and will establish an advisory committee. The town has already prepared an outline for a scoping plan for a Water Resources Management Strategy.)
While COVID-19 has had an impact on the number of shellfish harvested because demand dwindled with restaurants closed, the quantity harvested as reflected in state landing reports has declined over many years, despite some fluctuation. The state Department of Environmental Conservation tracks shellfish harvests and their reports suggest that these resources are in grave danger. Both clam and oyster harvests have plummeted in recent years – even allowing for the decline in restaurant purchases during the COVID-impacted 2020 season. The state reports show that oyster harvests peaked in 2013 and have trended downwards since, while clam harvests have fallen steadily since 2016 except for a slight rise in 2019.
A major revelation and warning sign was the fact that two years ago, for the first time, oysters served at the Oyster Festival had to be imported from Connecticut rather than harvested from Oyster Bay.
The cause of the decline is likely a combination of harvesting beyond sustainable levels; reduced seeding of juvenile shellfish; warming water from climate change, which makes the water more acidic and dissolves the calcium in shells; stormwater runoff that carries oil, sediments and other pollutants into the harbors; predators and disease.
Whatever the cause, the trend is alarming. And as the town drafts new rules and issues new licenses for continued shellfish cultivation, it is critical that the public be aware of this trend and the steps that must be taken to reverse it.
A viable shellfishing industry with increased oyster and clam populations in Oyster Bay and Cold Spring Harbor will help improve the water quality and combat the harmful algal blooms that have plagued the region’s waterways, now including Cold Spring Harbor.
Friends of the Bay remains committed to participating in the restoration and protection of our bays by partnering with the town and other stakeholders to find solutions that are best for the estuary.
By the Friends of the Bay Board of Directors
Most residents know that regional water quality has been improving since environmental legislation was enacted in the 1970s, bringing upgraded sewage treatment and other strategies to reduce pollution.
But what many people in the area don’t know is that our shellfish population, particularly our namesake oysters, has suffered a serious decline. And fewer oysters and clams, which filter the water, means dirtier water and a threat to the livelihood of commercial harvesters and the health and enjoyment of recreational users.
To deal with the problem, several steps should be taken. Friends of the Bay’s leadership met recently with Town of Oyster Bay officials to share our recommendations on shellfish management. The town was very receptive to our suggestions and had already planned to implement many of them.
Friends of the Bay believes the following steps must be taken to improve the health of the bay and make the shellfish population sustainable for the long run:
• The amount of acreage that the town will make available for commercial shellfish harvesting from the bay bottom should be reduced under a new licensing plan to be implemented when the current lease expires in 2024. (The town currently leases approximately 1,500 acres to Frank M. Flower & Sons but envisions initially licensing only 150 acres -- outside the current lease area – even before 2024).
• The town should increase the number and size of shellfish sanctuaries where no commercial or recreational harvesting is allowed. Protected acreage must be of sufficient size and quality to support a sustainable shellfish population large enough to provide the ecological benefits of a healthy marine ecosystem – water filtration, reproduction to seed the rest of the bay, erosion control, and food and habitat for other species. (To date, the town has set aside only two small areas on the North Shore: a conservation management area in Oyster Bay and another in Cold Spring Harbor that includes a spawner sanctuary. While the town agrees with the importance of this step, the amount and location of sanctuary acreage would have to be determined.)
• The number of juvenile shellfish seeded into the bays by the town and shellfish growing license-holders needs to be increased. The quantity of seed should be based on the size of the area licensed. (The town has built a hatchery in Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park, an important step since Frank M. Flower & Sons shut down its Bayville hatchery and seeding program two years ago, stating that predators and uncertainty over the future of its town lease that expires in 2024 made the operation untenable. Former Flower partner David Relyea, a longtime FOB board member, purchased the hatchery property and donated all its equipment to the town. Two years ago, the town reported that it planted 2 million clams and 300,000 oysters. This year the town said it planted 10 million clams and 2 million oysters. The town has included funding in this year’s budget to expand the hatchery from 1,000 sq. ft. to 3,500 sq. ft. to allow it to produce 30 to 40 million shellfish seed a year, according to town officials. The town also plans to grow seed shellfish to a larger size than Flower did to help increase their chances of survival. The seed will be placed in sanctuaries and conservation management areas.)
• “Off-bottom aquaculture” (shellfish cultivation in bags or cages) must be allowed and encouraged to preserve Oyster Bay’s shellfish legacy without damaging the bay bottom. (The town issued a request for proposals to license 150 acres deemed unproductive for off-bottom aquaculture. That acreage is outside the 1,500 acres currently leased. The town is working with an entity that responded to the RFP. Additional acreage should be considered for off-bottom cultivation.)
• Any company or individual that receives a town license to cultivate shellfish should be required to provide seed to the town for planting in a designated sanctuary or conservation management area in Oyster Bay or Cold Spring Harbor in any year that they harvest. (As urged by Friends of the Bay, the town has included this requirement in its request for proposals for new licenses. This will prevent future growers from harvesting if they have not provided the required seed to help sustain the bay’s shellfish population.)
• Wetlands restoration and the creation of oyster reefs are needed to protect existing wetlands and reduce shore erosion. A town shell-recycling program to retrieve shells from restaurants should be the first step toward the creation of these oyster reefs. Recycled shells can help return unproductive bottom land to viable oyster habitat by providing a home for seed oysters. (The town agrees with the need for these initiatives and has been working towards them in cooperation with Friends of the Bay.)
• Creation of a comprehensive plan for managing the bay must be a top priority. Friends of the Bay has encouraged the town to create a bay management plan with an advisory committee of representatives from user groups, environmental organizations, and experts in bay management and water-based industries. (The town has been developing a plan and will establish an advisory committee. The town has already prepared an outline for a scoping plan for a Water Resources Management Strategy.)
While COVID-19 has had an impact on the number of shellfish harvested because demand dwindled with restaurants closed, the quantity harvested as reflected in state landing reports has declined over many years, despite some fluctuation. The state Department of Environmental Conservation tracks shellfish harvests and their reports suggest that these resources are in grave danger. Both clam and oyster harvests have plummeted in recent years – even allowing for the decline in restaurant purchases during the COVID-impacted 2020 season. The state reports show that oyster harvests peaked in 2013 and have trended downwards since, while clam harvests have fallen steadily since 2016 except for a slight rise in 2019.
A major revelation and warning sign was the fact that two years ago, for the first time, oysters served at the Oyster Festival had to be imported from Connecticut rather than harvested from Oyster Bay.
The cause of the decline is likely a combination of harvesting beyond sustainable levels; reduced seeding of juvenile shellfish; warming water from climate change, which makes the water more acidic and dissolves the calcium in shells; stormwater runoff that carries oil, sediments and other pollutants into the harbors; predators and disease.
Whatever the cause, the trend is alarming. And as the town drafts new rules and issues new licenses for continued shellfish cultivation, it is critical that the public be aware of this trend and the steps that must be taken to reverse it.
A viable shellfishing industry with increased oyster and clam populations in Oyster Bay and Cold Spring Harbor will help improve the water quality and combat the harmful algal blooms that have plagued the region’s waterways, now including Cold Spring Harbor.
Friends of the Bay remains committed to participating in the restoration and protection of our bays by partnering with the town and other stakeholders to find solutions that are best for the estuary.
By the Friends of the Bay Board of Directors
A very special thank you goes to our 2021 Sponsors.
PROTECTOR OF THE BAY ($25,000)
Betsy Lawrence
BAY BENEFACTORS ($10,000)
Bahnik Family
David Relyea
ESTUARY GUARDIANS ($5,000)
Donna and Rich Appell
Beth and Kevin Costello
Lindsay and Thomas Thornton
HARBOR MASTERS ($2,500)
Anastasi Family
Carolyn and Joe Kenavan
SITE MONITORS ($1,500)
Bill Bleyer
Deborah and Michael Held
Donna and Mitch Kramer
Colleen and Barry Lamb
Claire-Louise and Matt Meng
COVE CUSTODIANS ($1,000)
Dawn and Glenn Kempa
Rus Lundstrum
Lorie and Steve Minicozzi
Linda Pons
Eric Swenson
ECOSYSTEM KEEPERS ($500)
Patty Anglin and John Taylor
Elayne and Gregory Bradley
Rob Brusca
E Maxwell Geddes, Jr.
Marilyn and Neil Moritt
Carla Panetta
Irwin Selden
Artie Sillman
Cynthia Stebbins
CONSERVATIONISTS ($250)
Christine and Jeffrey Roberts
Marcella and John Specce
PROTECTOR OF THE BAY ($25,000)
Betsy Lawrence
BAY BENEFACTORS ($10,000)
Bahnik Family
David Relyea
ESTUARY GUARDIANS ($5,000)
Donna and Rich Appell
Beth and Kevin Costello
Lindsay and Thomas Thornton
HARBOR MASTERS ($2,500)
Anastasi Family
Carolyn and Joe Kenavan
SITE MONITORS ($1,500)
Bill Bleyer
Deborah and Michael Held
Donna and Mitch Kramer
Colleen and Barry Lamb
Claire-Louise and Matt Meng
COVE CUSTODIANS ($1,000)
Dawn and Glenn Kempa
Rus Lundstrum
Lorie and Steve Minicozzi
Linda Pons
Eric Swenson
ECOSYSTEM KEEPERS ($500)
Patty Anglin and John Taylor
Elayne and Gregory Bradley
Rob Brusca
E Maxwell Geddes, Jr.
Marilyn and Neil Moritt
Carla Panetta
Irwin Selden
Artie Sillman
Cynthia Stebbins
CONSERVATIONISTS ($250)
Christine and Jeffrey Roberts
Marcella and John Specce
Scenes from Launch the Season
Many thanks also go to Rus Lundstrum of Cooper Bluff/Coach Meeting House fame for hosting us. Kudos to our star event coordinator Kelsey Costello for her vision and execution of the event, and to Beth Dalton Costello for her outstanding management of it. As always, we are eternally grateful to all our volunteers including Maureen Walsh, Carolyn Core-Kenavan, Nikole Holowat, Anne Schaentzler, Bea Bagdzuinas and Felicia Anastasi. Last but not least, our raffle baskets were made extra special thanks to the generosity of Lifetime Brands, Colors of Cold Spring Harbor, Damm & Steuer, Mort Künstler, Billy Joel, Massage Therapist Helen Lind, Integrated Body Works, Old Tappan Brewery, Bayville Seafood, Long Island Picture Frame & Art Gallery of Oyster Bay, Susan Dembo Acupuncture, Christine Berge D.C., J. Jaget Customs, Christina’s Epicure, Butera's and Red Tomato.
Photos by Joe Catalano
Photos by Joe Catalano
*NEW ITEMS AVAILABLE * VISIT OUR ONLINE STORE
* Your Choice is Free When You Become a Member at the $100+ Level*
Water Quality Monitoring Program
Both new and returning volunteers met with Friends of the Bay staff for our first two training sessions on water quality monitoring on April 14 and 20. Our volunteers were trained on water quality data collection and equipment usage.
We officially started collecting data and water samples on Monday, April 19 and will continue until the last Monday in October, weather permitting. We will post weekly data as it becomes available. Reports can be viewed and downloaded from the water quality data page found under the Monitoring Tab.
We officially started collecting data and water samples on Monday, April 19 and will continue until the last Monday in October, weather permitting. We will post weekly data as it becomes available. Reports can be viewed and downloaded from the water quality data page found under the Monitoring Tab.
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A BRIEF HISTORY OF LONG ISLAND SOUND
by Jennifer Wilson-Pines
-Originally published in The Island Now
Photo credit: Jennifer Wilson-Pines
