Oysters With a Day Job

Now, bivalves are back, but they’re not for eating. These oysters have a mission: ecological restoration.

The Billion Oyster Project is an ambitious, volunteer-driven initiative manned largely by NYC middle school students. Why oysters? They can filter toxins from up to 30 gallons of water a day, helping restore the harbor’s ecosystem, which includes crabs, sea squirts and other aquatic wildlife. Project manager Samuel Janis says when kids “see the restorative power of oysters, they’re blown away.”

Today, BOP estimates 11 million oysters are alive and well in the old harbor. They plan to reach 1 billion by 2030, thus reclaiming the harbor’s former title: oyster capital of the world.

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[mf_mosaic_item src=”https://modernfarmer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/billionoyster_1.jpg” number=”1″ caption=”Volunteers are both middle school and high school students./Photo courtesy Billion Oyster Project.”]
[mf_mosaic_item src=”https://modernfarmer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/billionoyster_2.jpg” number=”2″ caption=”Each year, the hatchery grows more than 10 million oysters./Photo courtesy Billion Oyster Project.”]
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11.5 million
oysters grown in New York Harbor

1.05 acres
reef area restored

93,600
pounds of shell cycled

6.75 million
pounds of nitrogen removed from New York Harbor

2,150
high school students engaged

875
middle school students engaged
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