In the past six months around 11.2 million new oysters were added in New York Harbor. Oysters act as a nonstop water filter, with an adult oyster being able to filter as much as 50 gallons of water a day. Although the waters are still far too polluted for the oysters to be eaten freely, the water quality is steadily improving.
Years of pollution and overharvesting have left the waters so contaminated that oysters could not even survive there. Carrie Roble, the vice president for estuary and education at a marine biology monitoring station, stated that it may be 100 years until people can eat from the waters.
Another advantage to oysters is that oyster reefs, when large enough, can protect the city’s shore from storms and floods by dissipating wave energy. This could be useful in combating the effects of climate change.
A major problem is to educate the locals on why the oysters are not good to eat. As the city is still letting out untreated sewage into waterways during heavy rain, which may also involve dangerous bacterias.
Ms. Roble, a former researcher of the project, says that showing the community the impacts of oysters, and convincing them to invest in protecting them is a significant help and possible solution to the problems of the waterways.
Oysters are a great solution to many problems in the New York waterways. They help cleanse, populate, and recover the ocean and water surface. The $1.5 million project to add 11.2 million oysters to the New York Harbor was made possible by the Hudson River Park Trust, using state funding.