Oysters are often celebrated for their water filtration capabilities, but oyster reefs - which once proliferated throughout the Peconic Estuary - offer unparalleled marine habitat and coastal erosion mitigation benefits as well.

Working to restore our oyster reefs, we use empty shells to set oyster larvae onto and create what is called “spat-on-shell” (SOS) oysters - this process is called “remote setting.” The SOS is then deployed onto designated reef locations at our Stewardship Sites.

Our remote setting tanks operate through the summer at our SCMELC and Shelter Island facilities. We hang some of the SOS in cages at Tiana Bayside to help enrich the campers’ experience and learn about the habitat value of oyster reefs.

Oysters, clams, and scallops are all broadcast-spawner bivalve species, meaning they release their eggs and sperm into the water column to be fertilized externally. Seeding these species in small areas at higher densities helps to increases the egg fertilization rate, therefore improving the successful rearing of new cohorts of shellfish.

This method, referred to as “spawner sanctuaries,” is commonly used in restoration efforts due to its documented success in bolstering the wild set of these species.

Our Back to the Bays spawner sanctuaries are designed to compliment CCE Marine’s long-running East End Town Shellfish Seeding Program, which deploys individual oysters, clams, and scallops in Town waters to enhance and maintain commercial and recreational harvests.