September 5, 2023
Through the Coastal Stewardship Certification Course I recently completed in August with the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Ocean County, I met Dr. Allison Fitzgerald, Assistant Professor of Biology at New Jersey City University (NJCU). In addition to her teaching at NJCU, Dr. Fitzgerald brings her doctoral work in oyster ecotoxicology to bear on the mission of NYNJ Baykeeper, an organization that works to “protect, preserve and restore the ecological integrity” of what it rightly terms “the most urban estuary on earth,” that comprising the New York-New Jersey Harbor. As the New York Oyster Program Coordinator, Dr. Fitzgerald has given more than 100 EcoVolunteers (like me!) the chance to assist in the creation and monitoring of new oyster reefs in waters where they have become functionally extinct from stressors such as over-harvesting, habitat destruction, and pollution. Those who volunteer at the organization’s reef in Soundview Park place concrete structures in the water for oyster larvae to attach to; observe the biodiversity, resilience, and growth of oyster spat on the posited reef; and monitor the reef for evidence of contamination, infectious disease, and unchecked predation. The program provides people living in the greater New York area with a hands-on learning experience in oyster reproduction and ecology. Under ideal conditions, a single oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water a day. Restored populations can contribute significantly to increasing water purity in areas of dense population and development like the Hudson-Raritan Estuary. NYNJ Baykeeper has planted over 8 million oysters in harbor waters since its inception! Given Dr. Fitzgerald’s added focus on the impact of microplastics on mollusk development, I am so excited that she has invited me to contribute to her research during the summer of 2023 and to bring whatever I learn back to advance the mission of Plastic Free Peninsula.
