Councilwoman Jane Bonner and Coastal Steward Long Island volunteer Brian McCaffery participated in the Shellfish Restoration Project event at Mt. Sinai Harbor on October 26. The event marked the final oyster release of 2024, with 50,000 oysters placed in Mt. Sinai and Port Jefferson Harbor sites.
These oysters were initially raised at the Town of Brookhaven Mariculture Facility at Mt. Sinai Harbor until May and June 2024 before being donated to Coastal Steward, a non-profit organization working with the Town of Brookhaven. As part of their Mariculture Restoration Program, Coastal Steward nurtures these oysters until they are planted in October on a designated area in Port Jefferson Harbor.
Coastal Steward Long Island received a total of 75,000 small Eastern oysters from the facility. These were divided into 75 bags and submerged in large growing cages with the assistance of volunteers. Throughout summer and fall, volunteers monitored the health and growth of the oysters, cleaning them every two weeks to prevent algae and organism overgrowth.
For further details about the Coastal Steward Shellfish Restoration Project, visit www.coastalsteward.org.