The Billion Oyster Project (BOP), started by the students at New York Harbor  School has worked to grow and restore oysters in the New York Harbor. Oysters reefs used to occupy over 220,000 acres of the Hudson River, and were a large part of the ecosystem. Oysters are known to filter the water around them, and provide a healthier habitat for other marine species and plants. Unfortunately, there are virtually no oysters left in the harbor because of pollution, over-harvesting, and dredging. The loss of oysters, and rise in water pollution, has rendered the current ecosystem unable to filter the water. Without the oysters, the Harbor reefs have disappeared and without these protective habitats the shoreline is more vulnerable to storms and destructive waves. BOP has five stand alone programs in place to restore the Harbors ecosystems that include: Oyster Production, BOP Schools, Reef Construction and Monitoring, Shell Collection, and Public Programs.

The Billion Oyster Project engages local students in hands on ways. In their mission statements, BOP says that students have “learned to SCUBA dive safely, raise oyster larvae, operate and maintain vessels, build and operate commercial-scaled oyster nurseries, design underwater monitoring equipment and conduct long-term authentic research projects all in the murky, contaminated, fast moving waters of one of the busiest ports in the county.” (BOP, 2016) One of their BOP Schools, the Harbor School, grows 10 million oysters a year and the students there are the ones that sustain the BOP’s projects. As of this year, BOP works in partnership with 36 public schools to provide these hands on opportunities to learn about science and math. Today there are more than eleven million oysters back in the New York Harbor thanks to BOP and it’s partners.

New York City always takes care of it’s own, and with a project like BOP, that directlybenefits the New York Harbors, many local businesses are getting in on the action. The Brooklyn Brewery and BOP have teamed up to create a limited edition oyster beer. The beer is called the Brooklyn Brewery’s Billion Oyster Saison, and was brewed with whole oysters! While this may sound strange to some, Irish brewers have been brewing with oysters for years and the taste is supposedly delicious. Garrett Oliver, the Brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery, said that the collaboration with the BOP was easy since, “Water quality is incredibly important to us because it makes up about 95% of the beer we produce. Needless to say we take the issue very seriously and are happy to support the case in the best way we know-making a beer!” It will be premiered at the third annual Billion Oyster Party this May and will benefit the Billion Oyster Project, as well as the New York Harbor Foundation. Partnerships like these are mutually beneficial, and help to not only raise money but also awareness! With the kind of partnership and support that the Billion Oyster Project has received they are getting closer to their ambitious goal of restoring the reefs and bringing one billion oysters back into the New York Harbor every day!

Morgan McGoughran

Restore Our Harbor. (n.d.). Retrieved May 24, 2016, from http://www.billionoysterproject.org/about/

Brooklyn Brewery Promotes New York Harbor Restoration with Billion Oyster Saison Brewbound.com. (2016). Retrieved May 24, 2016, from http://www.brewbound.com news/brooklyn-brewery- promotes-new- york-harbor- restoration-billion- oyster-saison

Levine, A. S. (2016). New York Today: The Big Oyster. Retrieved May 24, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/10/nyregion/new-york- today-the- big-oyster.html?_r=0