In New York, the One Billion Oyster Project continues the construction of its giant nursery that began in 2014. This summer the volunteers of this ecological initiative have introduced 65 million oysters. Their goal is to reach one billion by 2035. A few days ago they set up a hatchery with 15 million baby mollusks in the Bronx River.
Tanasia Swift is one of those in charge of the One Billion Oyster Project: “This oyster culture has benefits in the ecosystem. They provide a habitat for other species, from crabs to marine invertebrates and sponges attached to reefs. With this reef you can also mitigate the violence of the waves in the event of a storm in addition to creating an ecosystem that filters the water and benefits biodiversity. And so we have more biodiversity when we have more reefs, in addition to having more filtered water where oysters are replaced. “
In 1614 when New York was the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, the city exported oysters to half the world. Oysters were sold for a penny in Central Park, before hot dogs existed. When the port was built, the canals were dredged and their natural habitat was destroyed.
“These hatchlings come from Muscongus Bay in Maine. What we did was place the hatchlings from our nursery in the empty shells that we collected from seafood restaurants and restaurants all over New York,” explains Tanasia Swift of the One Billion Oyster Project.
The One Billion Oysters Project organizes workshops to raise awareness among young people of the importance of climate change and its consequences, which they experienced closely in 2012, when Hurricane Sandy hit New York City hard.
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