SAG HARBOR SHELLFISH: THAT’S A WRAP FOR 2025!
When I last visited our Sag Harbor pilot oyster reef off of John Steinbeck Waterfront Park to see how our 2024 spat-on-shell was looking, it was July 1st and I honestly couldn’t see much – the naturally occurring cocktail of phytoplankton, that our filter-feeding shellfish love to eat, had already bloomed and was obscuring our view of the life below the surface.
Despite not knowing how that first oyster planting was faring, we decided to proceed with a second planting anyway, this time tucking them in a little closer to the riprap lining the shore.
Cut to late October: the water has significantly cooled and cleared. While still brisk, we were given a beautiful sunny Monday – with one nor’easter having already hit and another large system baring down on us, I knew that this was my window to finally see what things looked like in Sag Harbor Cove.
And WOW did it look beautiful down there! If it wasn’t for the icy water entering my ears and giving me brain freeze, I’d have felt like I was snorkeling someplace tropical. I spotted excellent new growth on the oysters and a couple of crab species, as well as a few juvenile scallops utilizing the shells as habitat.
Overall, I’m very pleased with how our oysters are growing and look forward to checking on them again next year!
The next day, it was time to shift to clams. Mike Patricio – who spawns, grows and tends to all of the bivalves used in our enhancement and restoration projects – pulled the barrels of clams designated for Southampton Town out of our FLUPSY (FLoating UPweller SYstem) in Mattituck Creek and met me back at our facility at Cedar Beach. We loaded up the boat and headed out to cross the bay.
We cruised under the bridge and into the Cove. First, we seeded a majority of the clams far up by Short Beach, as requested by the Trustees to meet our deliverables for the annual Town Shellfish Enhancement program. Our last stop was John Steinbeck Waterfront Park to seed approximately 50,000 of the clams off the beach adjacent to our oyster reef site.
It was cold, grey, and pretty snotty out on the water – but that doesn’t stop us!
Oysters and clams naturally exist together in the same ecosystem, so pairing these species in our restoration efforts helps us see greater long-term success. I will check on the clams next fall, however I won’t expect to dig up any big ones quite yet – it takes 3-5 years for them to just reach littleneck size! Patience is key, but keep checking back for any updates!