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DEP Oyster Recruitment and Water Quality Research Project Head of Bay, Jamaica Bay

Fall 2017 Update

John McLaughlin

Managing Director, Office of Ecosystem Services, Green Infrastructure and Research

Jamaica Bay Task Force Meeting

November 2, 2017

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Background Information

• Received $1M in funding from the Department of Interior Hurricane Sandy

Coastal Resiliency Grant Program and $375K from DEP

• Building on the research already done at Gerritsen Creek and Dubos Point,

this expansion created a functional oyster spat “donor” configuration and four

smaller spat “receiving beds” that will hopefully demonstrate that we can

establish a self-sustaining oyster population within Jamaica Bay.

• Based on oyster larval modeling results (Fitzpatrick, 2012), modeling

suggests that the Head of Bay provided the greatest potential degree of

oyster larva retention.

• This nearly half-acre “receiving bed” also provides a greater degree of

resilience to disease and predation.

Spat Release Locations

near Head of Bay

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Original and Expanded Oyster Pilot Locations

Oysters

Early Oyster Projects

Oyster Project Scale-

up under DOI Grant

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Project Goals

• Demonstrate the effectiveness of water quality benefits from oyster

habitats

• Demonstrate effectiveness of safeguards to avoid “attractive

nuisance” issues

o Quantify:

Growth

Survival

Reproduction and Recruitment

Under real environmental conditions (e.g., predators,

environmental stressors)

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Project Configuration

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Spat Donor System

• 650-foot-long floating “nursery” releasing larvae into water column

• Originally stocked with 35,200 adult oysters (Sept 2016) + 525,000 juvenile oysters

(July 2017)

• Current adult population estimated at 30,700 adult oysters + 466,000 juvenile

oysters (Oct 2017)

• Pending DEC review and approval approximately 10,000 additional adult oysters will

be installed for a total 40,000 adult oysters

• To date there has been minor damage from winter storms

• For greater stability all lines connecting cages upgraded to heavier gauge

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Donor System Maintenance

• Maintenance and Monitoring: approximately 3 visits per month

• Inspecting for signs of damage or tampering

• Repairs as needed; typically draining pontoon floats and redistributing oyster

bags to new trays

• Replaced original line with heavier gauge in July 2017

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Donor System Monitoring

• Monthly monitoring: mortality, growth, and gonad development or “ripeness”

• Biannual monitoring: oyster condition index and sex ratios @ Stony Brook

University Marine Animal Disease Laboratory

• Annual monitoring: oyster disease testing @ Stony Brook University Marine

Animal Disease Laboratory• Monthly monitoring dates:

*included gonad development

• 9/1/16

• 10/4/16

• 12/8/16

• 3/9/17*

• 4/27/17

• 6/22/17*

• 7/19/17*

• 8/9/17*

• 8/24/17*

• 9/11/17*

• 10/23/17*

• 10/31/17

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Donor System Monitoring

• Rapid growth observed among both adult and juvenile oysters

• Adult oysters: mean shell height 128 mm

• 11.5% mortality among adult oysters to date (Sept 2016 to Oct 2017)

• 11.2% mortality among “spat-on-shell” juvenile oysters to date (July 2017 to

Oct 2017)

• The first set of laboratory results on adult oyster disease prevalence and

physiological health returned in late January 2017

• Common local oyster parasitic diseases (Dermo and MSX) were detected at

low infection intensity.

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Receiver Configuration

0.33

M

47 CY Clam Shell62 CY Porcelain

110 CY Clam

Shell47 CY Clam Shell

Reef # 1A Reef # 1B

50 M

25 CY Oyster Shell110 CY Clam Shell 84 CY Clam Shell

Reef # 2A Reef # 2B0.33

M

25 CY Oyster Shell

110 CY Clam Shell84 CY Clam Shell

Reef # 3A Reef # 3B

62 CY Porcelain110 CY Clam Shell

47 CY Clam Shell

Reef # 4A Reef # 4B

0.33

M

0.33

M

Four constructed mounds

of clam shell, oyster shell

and recycled porcelain

Each 50 m x 10 m x <1 m

About 0.5 acres (0.2

hectares) in total area

Preliminary diver surveys

in early July 2017 showed

that the receiver reefs

remained intact over the

winter season and had

very low macroalgal cover

Final diver surveys are

planned for late Oct 2017

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Spat Collectors

• 40 total spat collector stations throughout eastern Jamaica Bay

• Monitored monthly

• No oyster spat detected to date

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Functional Habitat• Benthic trays

o Demonstrate role of oyster reefs as suitable habitat for marine fish and

invertebrates

o Plastic trays filled with cultch (clam shell, oyster shell or porcelain) and placed on

top of corresponding material on receiver reef

o Installed August 2017

o Diver inspection October 2017

o Retrieval planned for July 2018

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Water Quality Improvements• In-situ fluorometry

o Investigate role of filter-feeding oysters in improving water quality

o Sampling #1 completed August 2017

o Sampling #2 planned for summer 2018

o Currently awaiting preliminary results from August 2017 sampling event

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Thank You