“There were many an oyster piled up on the Friends of Bellport Bay (FoBB) vessel that a couple of us had to get off the boat,” said volunteer Neil Koenig. “All the cages were emptied.”
Just before noon, the FoBB team, led by co-founder Thomas Schultz, was heading back to the Bellport marina with 140,000 of the little critters collected from protected dock cages.
“It was a great season for all the cages along the shore that residents host,” said co-founder Katia Read.
Read started the ball rolling with Schultz after exhibiting her collage and sculpture works in Schultz’s gallery in 2014; she wanted any proceeds to help plant oysters around several Bellport Bay islands, and baby ribbed mussels in marshes.
She and Schultz brainstormed environmental solutions; Read began fostering baby oysters in her own cages off her dock to reduce water pollution. It was a start, and FoBB was founded in 2015 as a nonprofit.
The goal was clean water via oysters; adult oysters can filter up to 50 gallons of water daily. Starting small, their devotion was so successful that they partnered with Brookhaven Town and Cornell Cooperative Extension, and as of this year, 300 million gallons of water are now filtered, a salute to what can be accomplished for environmental health.
When Schultz pulled in with his gnarly treasures, he actually hugged them.
“The Town of Brookhaven donated 100,000 oysters; we put a thousand of them into mesh bags, then into cages,” Schultz said. “After that, the cages are secured to private docks so the oysters can grow undisturbed.”
FoBB has successfully planted and sustained over six million shellfish as of this year. As part of their Operation Ecosystem Restoration, Brookhaven Town designated a 4-acre Marine Protection Area west of the Bellport marina, an extension from two acres in 2024, where the oysters were to be planted.
It’s been a slow, exacting slog. They had to apply for permits from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. They partnered with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County and the Seatuck Environmental Association’s Half Shells for Habitat program.
Over 2,000 pounds of recycled oyster shells were collected from area restaurants. The shells provided homes for the spat, baby oysters that start as larvae seeking a structure to settle on.
They joined with Seatuck and Cornell Cooperative Extension to build the reef’s foundation, recycling shells in biodegradable mesh bags that eventually disintegrate; the shells then form a foundation.
No magic wand achieved this. But you do need a dedicated team, including seasonal and part-time staffers, who scrub gunk off oyster shells, lay baby oysters on shells, collect them, and then place them in the protected areas. No matter what, you wear waders and warm gear. Sometimes it’s cold.
Their team includes co-director Larissa Chraim, a Stony Brook University graduate; education director Maria Slavnova, who began volunteering in 2020 and is a Stony Brook University student pursuing a B.S. in Marine Science; and co-director Christina Woodard, a Stony Brook graduate with a degree in vertebrate biology. There are also dedicated board members.
Their fundraising covers items such as spat, oysters, and marine equipment, as well as scientific evaluation and monitoring. It also supports six to eight high school intern positions.
On Aug. 29, under a gorgeous, clear sky, Schultz welcomed officials to celebrate the significant planting, including Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, who first designated the protected area while he was Brookhaven Town Supervisor.
There were many thank-yous, including to Romaine, Bellport Village Mayor Maureen Veitch, who allows the oyster launch; Councilman Mike Loguercio; and NYS Senator Dean Murray.
Not one to leave the gathering to just handshakes, Schultz picked up several large oysters to show their size, some of which were 8 years old.
He noted that Blue Point once had oysters, but the oysters were overharvested.
“Let’s preserve some of this from overharvesting,” he said. “I was involved from the very beginning. We need more management areas. That will allow them to grow.”
Romaine then turned to Schultz.
“We’ll keep it going and get money for it,” Romaine said. “Give me a proposal.”
