Huntington hatches new shellfish partnership

By Michael R. Ebert
michael.ebert@newsday.com

In Huntington Harbor, reviving oyster and hard clam populations is nothing new. Since 2001, town officials have successfully spawned millions of seed oysters and clams at Gold Star Battalion Beach using simple seed-culturing devices.

But earlier this month, the restoration project took a new direction when the town announced it was teaming up with the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County. The new partnership, which has been in the works since March, will continue the town’s existing efforts while also boosting educational opportunities for aquaculturally-aware teens.

“Right now, we’re getting a feel for the town’s system,” said Matthew Sclafani, Cornell Cooperative’s senior extension director. “Shellfish are important to Huntington waters, not only because of the harvesting industry, but because of ecological benefits they bring. They provide a forage base for finfish and improve the water quality by filtering algae.”

According to Scalfani, Huntington has ties to shellfish harvesting that date back to the 1600s, although it didn’t become important to the local economy until the 1930s. In recent decades, however, the shellfish population has declined due to severe over-fishing, parasite and disease infections, and fluctuations in natural habitats, among other things.

To combat the problem, the town has used seed-spawning devices called Floating Upwelling System (FLUPSY), which are floating hatcheries that can grow marine animals. The first year, the town raised and released over 270,000 oysters and 750,000 hard clams. By 2004, four FLUPSY units generated one million seed oysters and two million seed clams.

“In FLUPSY units, shellfish can grow double or triple their size in a single month,” said Sclafani, noting that Huntington shellfish will now spawn at Cornell Cooperative’s shellfish hatchery in Centerport, then be released at planting sites in Huntington Harbor.

In anticipation of the new partnership, Councilman Stuart Besen wrote letters to local high schools and colleges encouraging the participation of science-minded students. This summer, five local interns – all of whom were Huntington residents – helped to monitor temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen and record growth rates of the cultured shellfish.

“One element that we’re especially excited about is the educational component,” stated Besen, who proposed the partnership along with Councilwoman Glenda Jackson. “This program has opened up internship opportunities that provide real-time training.”

Besides Huntington, Sclafani said restoration efforts are also underway at other North Shore locations, but Cornell Cooperative doesn’t have shellfish population estimates.

Caption: Council members and program participants.