Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Wednesday 5 July 2017

‘Oyster wranglers’ scout rivers for signs of shellfish life

BY WAYNE PARRY thriving oyster colony from
ASSOCIATED PRESS the waters of Raritan Bay in
RED BANK, N.J. (AP) -- A Keyport, Republican Gov.
New Jersey environmental Chris Christie signed a bill
group that has had suc- allowing small-scale exper-
cess re-establishing oys- imental colonies in places
ter colonies in struggling where they are not visible
waterways is trying a new or easily accessible to the
tactic in two rivers at the public.
Jersey shore: checking the Baykeeper is allowed to
water to see if oysters are grow oysters off the pier at
already there. the Earle Naval Weapons
The work by the American Station, which is guarded
Littoral Society aims to see around the clock by gun-
where new oyster colonies wielding patrol boats.
can be established, or ex- A few weeks ago, the state
isting ones expanded. The Department of Environ-
group is hanging bags of mental Protection grant-
shells from docks of river- ed a permit to the Littoral
front homeowners who Society enabling it to do
agree to help, and check- oyster research in the river,
ing to see whether any provided that the shellfish
free-floating baby oysters, are removed from the wa-
called spat, attach them- terway before they reach
selves to the shells and be- market size,
gin growing. In this June 2, 2017 photo, a volunteer “oyster wrangler” with the American Littoral Society pre- to prevent them from be-
Tim Dillingham, the group’s pares to load bags of shells onto a boat in Red Bank, N.J. ing tempting targets for
president, said he’s confi- Associated Press poachers, said Bon Consi-
dent they’ll find oysters in dine, a spokesman for the
the Navesink and Shrews- putting a missing piece them with oyster seedlings been restricted for years agency.
bury rivers, where they of the ecosystem back in to create ready-made col- by worries from New Jer- The shellfish would then
once were plentiful. place.” onies. sey environmental officials have to be relocated to
The first checks will be A single oyster can filter 50 This summer’s work, how- and commercial shellfish state-approved areas.
made in late July. gallons (189 liters) of water ever, is different. harvesters that allowing While they would prefer to
“In the past, (the Navesink) a day, making them ideal Volunteers calling them- colonies in too many spots be able to establish new
was part of the New York natural allies in the fight to selves “oyster wranglers” could lead to someone oyster colonies in water-
oyster kingdom, where clean up polluted water- seek to determine whether poaching potentially con- ways throughout the state,
there were lots of oys- ways. oysters are already floating taminated shellfish, and environmentalists are re-
ters that helped feed the The project is called Oper- in the two rivers, and if so, in that resulting illnesses could signed, for now, to doing
world,” Dillingham said. ation Oyster, an offshoot of what concentrations. damage the state’s $800 as much as possible within
“Unfortunately, through years of work it and other The study will run through million-a-year shellfish in- the restrictions.
overharvesting, pollution similar-minded conserva- the end of September. dustry. Calling themselves “oyster
and not taking care of the tion groups have done to Though years of research Because of that, the envi- wranglers,” the volunteers
river system, we’ve lost that try to use shellfish to com- have shown great promise ronmental groups and the have been contacting ho-
resource. bat pollution. that oysters can and do state have reached an meowners along the rivers,
“We’re looking to put oys- Most of those projects in- thrive after being reintro- uneasy detente. Six years getting permission so far
ters back into the river to volved dumping tons of duced into polluted areas, after the state made the to tether 63 bags of oyster
have a healthy river sys- shells on river or bay bot- efforts to expand oyster NY/NJ Baykeeper envi- shells to the ends of their
tem,” he said. “This is about toms and then sprinkling colonies statewide have ronmental group rip out a docks.q