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John McLaughlin
October 15, 2014
Jamaica Bay Task Force
Expansion of Oyster Pilot Study
within Jamaica Bay
2
Jamaica Bay Watershed Protection Plan
• Original Watershed Protection
Plan identified 127 Strategies
intended to improve water
quality, ecology and public
access to the bay
• 2014 Update released on
October 1st
• http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/p
df/jamaica_bay/jbwpp_update
_10012014.pdf
Original and Expanded Oyster Pilot Locations
3
Oysters
Eelgrass
Oyster Project Scale-
up under DOI Grant
4
Project GoalsGOALS:
• Demonstrate effectiveness of water quality and ecological benefits from
oyster habitats
• Demonstrate effectiveness of safeguards to avoid “attractive nuisance”
• Develop information to restore a significant habitat type that once thrived in
Jamaica Bay
o Measure growth
o Survival
o Reproduction and Recruitment
Under real environmental conditions (e.g., predators, environmental
stressors)
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Dubos Point
Dubos Point - Reef Bed
10’ X 15” near-shore
Spat on Shell (SOS) over surf
clam shell
2 feet off bottom at 4 foot MLW
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Gerritsen Creek
Gerritsen Creek - Reef Balls
12 reef balls placed together
2.5 ft width x 1.75 ft height
Spatted in separate tank (CCE)
Near shore, on bottom at 5 foot MLW
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Pilot Conclusions
Generally adequate conditions for life
functions
Extensive predation observed (drills &
crabs)
Percent survival > on reef balls vs. reef
bed
Low incidence of Disease
Growth rates comparable to east coast
estuaries
Gonadal development found
Reproduction not directly observed
No recruitment observed
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Oyster Growth
DP & GC 2012 avr & max shell height
9Frequently Observed Macrobenthic Species
Baseline 6 months
Post Construction
12 months
Post Construction
Improved Habitat
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Lessons Learned
Scale
Although provided, difficult
to actually measure water
quality improvements -
made more difficult due to
small scale
No buffering capacity from
disturbances
Reef Balls very successful
Reef Bed not stable
Requires lower energy,
greater depth and/or
structural protection
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Oyster Pilot Expansion
• Building on the research
already done, the expansion
will create a functional oyster
spat “donor” bed and four
smaller oyster “receiving beds”
to ultimately determine
whether or not oyster
restoration can be self-
sustaining within Jamaica Bay.
• Based on oyster larval
modeling results (Fitzpatrick,
2012), modeling suggests
that Head of Bay provides a
greater potential degree of
larva retention.
• A larger oyster bed would also
provide a greater degree of
resilience to disease and
predation.
Received $1M in funding from the
Department of Interior Hurricane
Sandy Coastal Resiliency Grant
Program and $375K from DEP
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Location of Larva Release Points
Slide credit: HDR
13
Recruitment Results
Slide credit: HDR
Spat Release Locations near
Head of Bay
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Partners
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Design/Installation
• New York Harbor School
• Cornell University Cooperative Extension
• Hudson River Foundation
Permitting
• NYSDEC
• USACE
