September 21, 2023
A few hundred years ago, the waters off New York were one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world, especially due to its unique population of oysters – until humans wiped out the shellfish. The Billion Oyster Project wants to reverse this.
There is little traffic in New York Harbor, with just a few boats plying the waters between Manhattan and Brooklyn this morning. In the distance you can see some jet skis racing through the water; behind him the Statue of Liberty. “It’s usually so quiet here,” says Pete Malinowski. He stands on the bow of a moving boat and comments on the passing landscape: “New York Harbor is the largest and most beautiful open space in the city and is definitely underutilized.”
New York’s waters, especially the Hudson and East rivers, which border Manhattan on the east and west sides, have a bad reputation today. Many New Yorkers agree that there is a toxic sludge flowing between neighborhoods that is best to stay away from. But around 400 years ago, whales, dolphins, seals, seahorses, as well as countless species of fish still lived here – on an oyster reef that was one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. Then, the growing population of the megametropolis completely depleted the oyster population, with fatal consequences: at the beginning of the 20th century, the ecosystem was practically lifeless. The waters are polluted, the port is overbuilt, and the maritime environment has been removed from the consciousness of New Yorkers. Most of the city’s streets end where the water begins, recalls Malinowski: “New Yorkers don’t think about the fact that they live in an archipelago surrounded by a natural ecosystem. We left New York to be in nature.”
Malinowski wants to change that. His project, the Billion Oyster Project, aims to establish one billion oysters in New York Harbor by 2035. The oysters are primarily intended to improve the harbor’s water quality – because one adult oyster can filter up to 189 gallons of water per day . Oysters also settle on the reefs. In ancient times, they served as a natural defense against storms; This should be the case again in the future. The idea is no coincidence, because just a few hundred years ago the waters of the megametropolis were exactly that: a thriving oyster reef.
The billion oyster number that Malinowski and his co-founder Murray Fisher set as a goal seems huge, but it represents just a fraction of the oyster population that lived in New York Harbor just a few hundred years ago. The initiative wants to populate around 40 hectares of the port with oysters; At that time there were about 90,000 hectares of oyster reefs.
Since 2014, the project has deposited around 100 million oysters in the port. So about 10% of the way is done. However, the pace is expected to increase significantly by 2035. But the partial success is already showing initial effects: the water quality in the port has improved measurably, explains Malinowski.
“You can think of oyster reefs as trees in a forest,” he says. “They improve air quality, stabilize the soil and create the right conditions for animals to survive in the forest.” The port is, in a way, a deforested forest. Malinowski: “Imagine 30 million people living around this non-existent ‘forest’ area – new trees would be planted immediately. But because this ecosystem is underwater, people think about it differently.”
The Billion Oyster Project primarily aims to raise awareness among city residents about their surroundings: “We want every person in New York City to have access to nature restoration here,” says Malinowski.
A large part of the project is from New Yorkers themselves: around 15,000 volunteers are currently helping, as well as young New Yorkers, especially from the New York Harbor School. At Governors Island Public School, students are expected to be prepared for maritime careers – oyster farming is part of the curriculum here. Malinowski himself was a professor here for several years. There are also a few dozen restaurants that donate oyster shells to the project – because the shellfish is still a popular delicacy throughout the northeastern US and is on the menu in many New York restaurants.
But oysters from New York Harbor probably won’t end up on a restaurant table. “Our oysters are poisonous,” says Malinowski. The water quality in the port is not good enough for shellfish to be consumed in this water. And: “Oysters are friends, not food.” The Billion Oyster Project’s oysters serve a more important function than being eaten, says the founder.
The project is a nonprofit with 47 employees, Malinowski said. The Billion Oyster Project needs about $7 million a year to keep running, he says. This includes office operations, boats, events, and the oyster infrastructure that can be seen in dozens of locations across New York: On Governor’s Island, piles of oyster shells can be seen in the distance, exposed to the sun. Small tanks on the edge of Brooklyn Harbor hold baby oysters. On a small pier near Brooklyn, Malinowski pulls two oyster traps from the water, which are tied to the edge of the pier. He calls it “oyster kindergarten.”
Malinowski himself is all about shellfish: he grew up on Fisher Island, a small island south of Long Island; His family is oyster fishermen. Malinowski: “I’ve spent my whole life surrounded by oysters.” A lifestyle you can see: the founder has two oysters tattooed on his arms and a golden oyster buckle on his belt reflects the sunlight.
It may take many years for him to reach his goal. The rate at which new oysters are introduced also needs to increase significantly. But that doesn’t seem to faze Malinowski in the slightest. What happens next when the billion is reached? “Maybe we’ll increase it to a trillion,” he jokes.
Text: Sarah Sendner
Photos: Sasha Charoensub