MICHELLE MULLEN<\/p>\n
An Beal Bocht Caf\u00e9\u2019s 13th Annual Oysterfest served up a shell of a good time on Oct. 11, joining forces for the first time with a local advocate working to restore oyster populations in New York City waters.<\/p>\n
This year, the Irish eatery redirected hundreds of shells typically trashed to City Island Oyster Reef, or CIOR, a nonprofit reviving a once-thriving ecosystem in the Long Island Sound. Each shell will help form new reefs, encouraging oyster growth that filters waterways and protects against shoreline erosion. Among the many volunteers with CIOR is Kevin Horbatiuk, a longtime regular at An Beal Bocht, who led the collaboration.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do a lot of public outreach, so this was the easiest sale I\u2019ve ever had to make,\u201d the attorney told The Press with a chuckle. \u201cIt takes the messy aspect of this event off [An Beal Bocht\u2019s] hands because they don\u2019t have to deal with the oyster shells.\u201d<\/p>\n
The idea came to Horbatiuk over a recent Sunday pub chat with bartender Cassandra Sawyer, where the two delved into New York\u2019s storied maritime past. Along what is now Spuyten Duyvil Creek, oyster houses and shacks once served fresh catches, pulled straight from the water.<\/p>\n
\u201cJournals from the time talk about people who went there \u2014 the oysters were so large and so delicious,\u201d Horbatiuk said. \u201cThe owner would just go outside, pick them up out of the creek, and harvest them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Near what is now the corner of Broadway and West 230th Street, a busy inn serving oysters drew travelers along the trade routes that connected the Bronx to Manhattan. The spot became so well known that its reputation was noted in 19th-century magazines like Harper\u2019s Weekly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Oysters once defined the city\u2019s identity, dating back hundreds of years before colonization. The Indigenous Lenape people harvested them along the Hudson and Long Island Sound, piling discarded shells into mounds called middens that archaeologists still uncover today.<\/p>\n
By the 1800s, oysters had become a cornerstone of New York life. European colonists were not only feasting on the mollusks but also grinding shells into a lime-based mixture known as \u201coyster mortar\u201d to build early homes and churches.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But that golden age was short lived. By the late 19th century, overharvesting and unchecked industrial growth began to deplete local oyster populations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Indigenous peoples who lived here viewed the river as a life source,\u201d Horbatiuk said. \u201cThey fed off of that. And then as the city grew, it became a means of transportation.\u201d<\/p>\n
The construction of the railroad along the Hudson\u2019s edge severed tidal wetlands and salt marshes, while combined sewer systems sent untreated wastewater directly into the river. Pollution from factories and shipyards poisoned the water, killing off entire reefs that had filtered and sustained it for centuries.<\/p>\n
In the 1890s, Spuyten Duyvil Creek was dredged and reshaped to allow ships to pass through, pushing the shoreline nearly a mile inland and erasing much of the natural estuary. What had once been a thriving, self-sustaining ecosystem became a dumping ground. The city\u2019s oysters \u2014 once its pride \u2014 were nearly gone by the turn of the century.<\/p>\n
Their loss rippled far beyond the shellfish themselves. Oysters are natural purifiers, capable of filtering up to 50 gallons of water a day. They pull in plankton and organic particles, retaining what they need and releasing the rest as nutrients that support other species.<\/p>\n
\u201cUltimately, it keeps growing to the point where you\u2019re getting the dolphins, the seals and the whales coming here,\u201d Horbatiuk said, \u201cbecause they can feed off the larger fish,that feed off the smaller fish, that feed off the other stuff, that feed off the oyster secretion.\u201d<\/p>\n
The reefs also serve as natural barriers, softening waves and protecting coastlines from erosion and storm surges. Unlike concrete barriers, oyster reefs grow and adapt over time, providing a living defense against rising seas.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cA lot of areas that were very vulnerable during Hurricane Sandy,\u201d Horbatiuk said. \u201cThe thinking at the time was putting up concrete dividers. But now, organizations are rebuilding oyster reefs instead. They naturally break up wave strength and bring life back to the water.\u201d<\/p>\n
That work is happening across New York through widespread projects like the Billion Oyster Project at New York Harbor, which CIOR models itself after on a smaller scale. The City Island group focuses on restoring the Bronx\u2019s own shoreline \u2014 a place with a deep nautical past.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once known for oystering, shipbuilding and sailmaking, City Island\u2019s prosperity relied on its waters. When industrial runoff and sewage outflows turned the Sound toxic, both the oysters and much of the local trade vanished.<\/p>\n
\u201c[CIOR] is dumping major amounts of shells so the oysters will populate on them and naturally break up wave strength,\u201d Horbatiuk said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Founded in 2019 by longtime City Island residents, some from families who have lived there for generations, CIOR is dedicated to rebuilding what was lost. Since then, the group has placed more than 47,000 oysters into Long Island Sound, partnering with schools and community groups to monitor the reefs\u2019 growth and health.<\/p>\n
Once oysters pass through their larval stage, they attach to hard surfaces rich in calcium carbonate, like other oyster shells.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause of dredging and overharvesting, there\u2019s no longer structure for them to attach to,\u201d Horbatiuk explained. \u201cSo step one is rebuilding that foundation.\u201d<\/p>\n
At this year\u2019s Oysterfest, Horbatiuk was joined by fellow volunteer Lauri Tomeo, who served as an ambassador for the Billion Oyster Project, helping to raise awareness for the group\u2019s work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about engaging with people who wouldn\u2019t necessarily see this on any given Saturday or Sunday,\u201d Tomeo said. \u201cPeople are very appreciative. It gives them perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n
Throughout the afternoon, Horbatiuk and Tomeo made quiet rounds around the bar, collecting shells as patrons slurped oysters and clams. By day\u2019s end, they\u2019d gathered roughly 450 oysters and 150 clams, piling them into white bins for CIOR\u2019s truck to collect.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wound up filling a 32-gallon bucket nearly to the top,\u201d Horbatiuk said.<\/p>\n
From there, the shells begin a yearlong transformation. They\u2019re first taken to a curing site in Pelham, where they sit outdoors for nine months to a year \u2014 a process required by the state Department of Environmental Conservation to ensure any microbes or non-native organisms are eliminated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you shuck an oyster or clam, there\u2019s liquid inside of it,\u201d Horbatiuk said. \u201cThat\u2019s the water in which it grew and none of it is native or natural to this part of New York.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once deemed safe, the shells are sent to the Cornell Cooperative Extension on Long Island, where scientists spray them with oyster larvae. After the larvae attach, the shells \u2014 now seeded with baby oysters \u2014 are returned to City Island and placed underwater in metal cages. Volunteers later pull up the cages to measure growth, document biodiversity and submit data to maintain city permits.<\/p>\n
Each reef becomes its own small habitat, attracting fish, crabs and other marine life. Over time, the process helps rebuild an entire ecosystem \u2014 one that supports more than a hundred species in the Long Island Sound.<\/p>\n
Back at An Beal Bocht, the partnership drew warm reactions from both staff and patrons.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people were really excited about the fact that we could recycle them,\u201d Sawyer said. \u201cThey were really looking forward to making this a new tradition.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Horbatiuk, the night was a reminder that even small acts \u2014 a pub chat, a handful of shells \u2014 can help restore what was once lost.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s amazing to think, that just by collecting shells, you can bring back something that\u2019s been part of New York for hundreds of years,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\n\t\tKeywords<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tAn Beal Bocht Oysterfest,\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t Bronx oyster reef restoration,\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t City Island Oyster Reef,\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t NYC oyster recycling,\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t Kevin Horbatiuk oysters,\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t Long Island Sound ecosystem,\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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