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This summer, Princeton Hydro aquatic scientists joined forces with Billion Oyster Project and AKRF on an exciting effort to better understand how restored oyster reefs are supporting life in New York City’s waterways. The project, “Monitoring of Mobile Estuarine Organisms at Restored Oyster Reefs,” focuses on tracking fish, crabs, snails, and other aquatic species that call these reefs home, as well as using cutting-edge environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques to detect organisms that might otherwise go unnoticed.
As a consultant to AKRF, our team deployed collection gear across current and potential restoration sites, including Brooklyn Bridge Park, Bush Terminal Park, Flushing Bay, and Paedergat Basin. The sampling enclosures, left in the water for 48 hours, revealed a fascinating snapshot of estuarine life, from small schooling fish to a surprise dogfish, a small shark-like species that was one of the highlights of the summer survey sessions.
This collaborative initiative brings together multiple partners: Billion Oyster Project, the driving force behind large-scale oyster reef restoration in New York Harbor, is leading the project. AKRF, headquartered in New York City, is serving as the primary consultant; Princeton Hydro is leading the mobile estuarine sampling efforts and eDNA sample collection; and Monmouth University is analyzing the eDNA samples to help identify species present at the restoration sites.
Oyster reefs are living structures that provide essential habitat for a wide array of species, improve water quality through natural filtration capabilities, and enhance the resilience of New York Harbor against coastal storms and erosion. Monitoring oyster reefs ensures that restoration efforts are successful and helps scientists refine approaches for scaling up oyster reef projects in urban estuaries locally and throughout the world.
As the field sampling lead, Princeton Hydro completed two monitoring and sampling collection events, one this Spring and one this Summer, at the various oyster reef restoration sites. Using sea bass and minnow collection gear, our team – Jesse Smith, Aquatic Ecologist; Jackson Tilves, Staff Scientist; and Kaitlyn Jones, Staff Scientist – identified, measured, and documented each of the found species before safely returning them to the water. In addition, we collected in-situ water quality data at each site to help interpret how environmental conditions influence reef communities.
Our team brings deep experience and specialized equipment to this project. Princeton Hydro’s biologists have conducted estuarine surveys throughout the Hudson River and New York Harbor, led nekton and benthic sampling along New Jersey’s coastline, and carried out numerous studies that inform restoration and resilience efforts across the region.
Alongside traditional monitoring, the “Monitoring of Mobile Estuarine Organisms at Restored Oyster Reefs” project uniquely incorporates eDNA sampling. eDNA is genetic material that organisms shed into their surrounding environment, through skin cells, mucus, or waste, that can be detected in water samples. By collecting and analyzing eDNA, scientists can identify the presence of species that may not appear in sampling enclosures. The analysis provided by the team at Monmouth University helps paint a fuller picture of biodiversity at the restored oyster reef sampling locations.
The photos below capture moments from the field and the diverse aquatic life our team encountered, offering a glimpse into the many species that oyster reefs help support in the New York Harbor:
*The Asian Shore Crab pictured above is an invasive species encountered fairly often during the Summer sampling events.
Founded in 2014, Billion Oyster Project is working to restore one billion oysters to New York Harbor while engaging New Yorkers directly in the process. Oyster reefs once covered hundreds of miles of shoreline, filtering water, creating habitat, and buffering against storm surge. Today, Billion Oyster Project’s mission is not only to restore these vital ecosystems but also to inspire lasting stewardship of them through educational programming and free STEM curricula for NYC schools and educators . To learn more about Billion Oyster Project and how to participate, click here.
Princeton Hydro is proud to partner with Billion Oyster Project, AKRF, and Monmouth University on this project and in the advancement of urban reef restoration. Together, we’re building knowledge that informs the future of oyster reefs in New York Harbor while strengthening ecological health and resilience of the city’s waterways for generations to come.
To learn more about our work to restore New York’s waterways, we invite you to read our Client Spotlight blog featuring Riverkeeper, a 501(c)3 nonprofit membership organization committed to protecting and restoring the Hudson River from source to sea and safeguarding drinking water supplies through advocacy rooted in community partnerships, science, and law.
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