North Hempstead Town Councilmember Mariann Dalimonte, officials from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, and North Hempstead’s Bay Constables welcomed one million new spat-on-shell baby oysters to their residence in Manhasset Bay on July 30. This is the fifth summer that North Hempstead added one million oysters to Manhasset Bay, bringing the total seeded oysters to well over 5 million.
The program was spearheaded by Dalimonte, in partnership with the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, with the goal of restoring the water quality of Manhasset Bay through the reintroduction and establishment of oyster beds.
“I have loved Manhasset Bay since I was a child, but nitrogen pollution has had a significantly adverse effect on its water quality,” Dalimonte said. “I’m so grateful to my colleagues on the Town Board and Cornell Cooperative Extension for supporting this remarkable environmental initiative. Together, we’re making a lasting investment in the health of our waterways.”
The plans to embark on this project first began in January 2020, when Dalimonte initially explored the idea of reintroducing oysters into the bay as a means of helping the environment. At the April 28, 2022 board meeting, she offered the resolution to embark on this project, which was unanimously approved.
Over the last four years, Dalimonte, North Hempstead Bay Constables, and members of the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County team have continually assessed the reintroduced oyster population. They have repeatedly noted that the oysters are not only alive, but growing. These positive status reports have allowed the town to move forward with reintroducing additional oysters every summer since 2022.
The program was recently boosted with $100,000 in grant funding secured by Congressman Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove), which allowed for the reintroduction of an additional 500,000 spat-on-shell oysters. Suozzi obtained a $300,000 appropriation for the program that will ultimately include a total of 5 million spat-on-shell oysters planted over three years (2024-2026) and split evenly between Manhasset Bay, Hempstead Harbor, and Oyster Bay/Cold Spring Harbor.
Dalimonte and the team from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County will continue to assess the oyster population in the coming months as the program progresses.