Oysters to the Rescue!

Four hundred years ago, oysters thrived in the waters surrounding what is now New York City. These soft-bodied creatures are mollusks that live inside shells. But over time, overfishing and pollution caused oysters to disappear. 

Rebecca Resner is trying to bring them back. She manages the oyster hatchery at the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School. The school has partnered with an organization called the Billion Oyster Project (BOP) to reintroduce 1 billion oysters to the city’s coastlines by 2035.

The oysters could filter the water as they eat, provide food and shelter for other marine creatures, and keep shorelines from eroding, or wearing away. “Oysters are a keystone species. That means they have multiple functions,” explains Resner. 

Many oysters lived in the waters around what is now New York City 400 years ago. Oysters are a type of soft-bodied creature called a mollusk. They live inside shells. Over time, overfishing and pollution caused oysters to disappear.

Rebecca Resner is trying to change that. She manages the oyster hatchery at the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School. The school has partnered with an organization called the Billion Oyster Project (BOP). Together, they plan to reintroduce 1 billion oysters to the city’s coastlines by 2035.

The oysters could filter the water as they eat. They could also provide food and shelter for other ocean creatures. Finally, they could keep shorelines from eroding, or wearing away. “Oysters are a keystone species. That means they have multiple functions,” explains Resner.

Resner and her students grow oysters at the Harbor School’s hatchery. First, Resner puts adult oysters in tanks filled with warm water. That tricks the oysters into thinking it’s spring, when they naturally produce larvae. These baby oysters have tiny shells. After a few weeks, they latch onto hard surfaces, like the shells of other oysters. In nature, oysters grow on top of each other, forming jagged structures called reefs.

BOP collects 3,630 kilograms (8,000 pounds) of empty oyster shells from restaurants every week. Resner and the students fill mesh bags with those shells. Then they lower the bags into the baby oysters’ tanks. The larvae attach to the shells. 

Resner and her students grow oysters at the Harbor School’s hatchery. First, Resner puts adult oysters in tanks. The tanks are filled with warm water. The warm water tricks the oysters into thinking it’s spring. That’s when they naturally produce larvae. Larvae are baby oysters. They have tiny shells. Baby oysters latch onto hard surfaces when they are a few weeks old, like the shells of other oysters. In nature, oysters grow on top of each other. This growth forms jagged structures called reefs.

BOP collects 3,630 kilograms (8,000 pounds) of empty oyster shells from restaurants every week. Resner and the students fill mesh bags with those shells. Then they lower the bags into the baby oysters’ tanks. The larvae attach to the shells.