Why Oysters?
Did you know that New York Harbor was once home to 220,000 acres of oyster reefs? Or, that an adult oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water a day? The historic evidence of oysters in New York Harbor, combined with the oyster’s reputation as an “ecosystem engineer”, drives us to return New York Harbor to its rightful place as an ecological treasure. Here’s why we need them:
Oyster Reefs Foster Biodiversity
Like coral reefs, oyster reefs provide 3D habitat for hundreds of species. Oysters grow off of one another — creating a hardy infrastructure for a lively underwater city of marine wildlife. Reefs are to the ocean what trees are to the forest.
Oysters Filter Water
Oysters filter water as they eat, which helps clarify the water and remove certain pollutants, including nitrogen. This is very important to a marine ecosystem, because excessive nitrogen triggers algal blooms that deplete the water of oxygen and create “dead zones.”
Oyster Reefs are a Natural Storm Barrier
Massive oyster reef systems in New York Harbor were once a natural defense against storm damage—softening the blow of large waves, reducing flooding, and preventing erosion.
Today, the Governor's Office of Storm Recovery (GOSR) is implementing coastal green infrastructure through the Living Breakwaters Project to mimic the reef systems that once existed off of southern Staten Island. Billion Oyster Project will install oysters on and around the infrastructure designed by SCAPE Landscape Architecture.
Spotted near our oyster reefs
Harbor History
Explore how New York Harbor has changed over the last 400 years.