Friends of the Bay drops 20,000 clams into Oyster Bay to restore shellfish populations
Local restoration effort aims to boost shellfish numbers, improve water quality and support local baymen.
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A local organization is working to restore shellfish populations in Oyster Bay while improving water quality at the same time.
Friends of the Bay dropped 20,000 clams into Oyster Bay on Friday as part of its Re-Clam the Bay program.
The adult hard clams were released into the Town of Oyster Bay's sanctuary areas, where they are protected and can help repopulate local waters.
“These clams would be harvested and go to somebody's dinner plate, but instead we're bringing them to the sanctuaries where they can live out the rest of their lives and hopefully help repopulate the area,” said Christine Suter, executive director of Friends of the Bay. “Oysters can filter about 50 gallons of water a day. Clams filter about 24, but still, it's still a benefit to water quality."
Friends of the Bay and volunteers released the clams into the town's protected sanctuary spaces on Friday.
“When we increased the sanctuary space in 2025, we went from roughly 55 acres of protected space to 500 acres of protected space,” said Colin Bell, the Town of Oyster Bay's deputy commissioner of environmental resources.
Friends of the Bay says the project is designed to benefit both the environment and the local community.
“This is a locally, community-driven effort so we are purchasing locally-sourced adult clams dug by local baymen,” Suter said.
Town officials say the restoration effort will help rebuild shellfish populations that have declined over the years.
“It's replenishing the population that has been depleted over many years and it will help filter the waters that we have here,” Oyster Bay Town Clerk Richard LaMarca said.
Friends of the Bay says it conducted a similar clam release last spring and plans to continue the program in the future.
To see more information on the Re-Clam the Bay program, click here.
