Oyster Bay, nonprofit Friends of the Bay partner in effort to bolster clam population

A local nonprofit will spread clam seeds across a stretch of protected underwater area off Oyster Bay, part of an agreement with the town to help revive a depleted shellfish population.

Friends of the Bay partnered with the Town of Oyster Bay for a program that aims to dump up to 2,500 clams on each of four separate days per year — two in the spring and two in the fall — according to town documents. It's one of myriad efforts designed to bolster shellfish numbers that have dramatically dwindled in recent years and comes after the town implemented large-scale changes last year to protections in its waterways.

Seeding underwater areas off limits to harvesting is a critical piece in a multipronged effort to restore shellfish populations that have plummeted in recent years, mirroring trends seen throughout the East Coast, experts said.

Christine Suter, executive director of nonprofit Friends of the Bay, said the program will hopefully “jump-start the process of stocking the sanctuaries” that were recently designated by the town.

Friends of the Bay will raise money to purchase the clams, officials said.

Setting aside underwater acres

This past summer, the town divvied up formerly leased grounds in Oyster Bay and Cold Spring harbors that for decades were exclusively harvested by Frank M. Flower & Sons. That area spans roughly 1,400 of the town’s 5,405 acres of bay bottom. The company’s longtime lease expired Sept. 30.

The town set aside 185 underwater acres as shellfish sanctuary areas, where harvesting is prohibited, and an additional 372 acres as marine management areas, where harvesting is off-limits but can be opened at a later time. The change officially took effect Oct. 8, when the town’s shellfishing moratorium expired. 

Colin Bell, the town’s Department of Environmental Resources deputy commissioner, said in an interview that Oyster Bay is “eager for any opportunity to increase the shellfish population in the harbor.”

There are numerous programs centered on the town's namesake — oysters — but the new program focuses on clams, which also provide water quality benefits and improve biodiversity. The population of clams in Oyster Bay waters has experienced a decline akin to the numbers observed among oysters, according to officials and town data. 

Bell said clams take longer than oysters to grow to a harvestable size, making it difficult to purchase seeds from commercial hatcheries. Those businesses put less focus on clams because they don’t turn over as much product on a seasonal basis. However, clams — like oysters — are filter feeders and can improve water quality that has plagued parts of the North Shore. 

“We see this as an opportunity — sort of out-of-the-box … to increase the clam population in the harbor,” Bell said in an interview.

Oyster Bay has several partnerships underway to improve shellfish populations and is mulling a large town-run hatchery capable of producing 100 million shellfish seeds annually. 

Resiliency of clams

Ryan Wallace, an assistant professor at Adelphi University who for years has studied the underwater conditions in Oyster Bay waters, said focusing on clams for the program is an effective way to improve biodiversity in the waters.

Clams are generally more resilient than oysters and have a better chance of surviving water quality issues that have been observed by researchers.

Wallace, in an interview, said clams tend to "survive in lower-oxygen conditions." 

The process of building up the shellfish population in Oyster Bay and Cold Spring harbors is underway with several separate efforts, Wallace said, but they are expected to take years before significant change takes hold.  

"These projects are not completed overnight,” Wallace said. “These projects can take years.”

Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino said the partnership is a “community-driven environmental investment.”

“Friends of the Bay is raising private funds to seed shellfish in Oyster Bay Harbor, while the Town ensures the proper approvals, oversight, and locations,” Saladino said in a statement.

By Joseph Ostapiuk

joseph.ostapiuk@newsday.com@OstapiukJ