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200,000 Oysters Moved For Tappan Zee Dredging
By
Nell Casey
Published Jul 26, 2013
Modified Jul 26, 2013
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By
Nell Casey
Published Jul 26, 2013
Modified Jul 26, 2013
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Construction on the new Tappan Zee Bridge begins in August, but before the crews begin dredging for the foundation, they have a little bit of a bivalve contingent to deal with. Starting today, a three-man crew began pulling colonies of oysters from the Hudson River near the dredge site so they could relocate the knobbly critters about a mile south towards Manhattan. “We don’t want those oysters taken away with the dredging material that’s going to be disposed of," explained special advisor Brian Coneybeare to WCBS. "So we’re trying to get as many of those oysters out of there as we can and put them into a safer habitat.”
The crew will spend a week pulling mussels from the shell yanking oysters into buckets for transport to the tune of about $100,000. Think of all the delicious dinners that could be made from those suckers if the idea of eating anything out of the Hudson weren't so gross.
It turns out, oysters help to filter the nastiness out of the river. “They actually help clean the water themselves and the fact that we’re finding as many live oysters as we are has been a very pleasant surprise,” Coneybeare went on to say. They could also help protect from storm surges if their numbers continue to grow. So oysters are delicious, good for the environment and help protect the city. Oysters for Mayor!
Tagged
environment
hudson river
oyster colonies
oysters
tappan zee bridge
Nell Casey
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