Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
100,000 Oysters Find New Home In Bronx River Reef
By
Nell Casey
Published Sep 24, 2013
Modified Sep 24, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Nell Casey
Published Sep 24, 2013
Modified Sep 24, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
If we've learned anything in the past year it's that oysters play an ecologically invaluable role in protecting our waterways, a role we desperately missed when Hurricane Sandy unloaded her gigantic storm surge on our shores. The Hudson River Foundation appreciates oysters' importance to our rivers and thus embarked on an initiative to restore oyster populations to the Bronx River, which has suffered from extreme pollution since the '70s.
The Times follows students from the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School, which operates out of Governor's Island, as they transferred 100,000 farm-raised baby oysters to a one-acre man-made reef just off Soundview Park in the hopes of reestablishing the bivalves' presence in the troubled waterway.
The South Bronx reef joins similar efforts by other nonprofit groups who have been cultivating "oyster gardens" in an attempt to nurture the oyster population all over the city. The New York Harbor School aims to raise over a billion "spat-on-shell" (baby) oysters for similar restoration projects, which not only clean the water and provide habitats for smaller fish but could also help protect against future storm surges in an environmentally-friendly way.
It's all the more reason to attend Thursday's Brooklyn on the Half Shell event, as 100% of ticket sales benefit the New York Harbor School and their efforts to support our waterways. While it may seem counterintuitive to consume the very animals the groups are trying to grow, keep in mind that they beautiful bivalves were (thankfully) not raised in the Bronx River.
Tagged
bronx river
Hudson River Foundation
oyster week
oysters
Urban Assembly New York Harbor School
Nell Casey
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
Published Oct 10, 2026
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Food
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Where to eat in Greenpoint, Brooklyn right now, from Polish to Sichuan to Iberian
By
Robert Sietsema
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .