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Oysters were once plentiful in the New York Harbor in the 19th century but by the 20th century, overfishing, pollution and sewage destroyed the oysters and they were gone. Oysters are critical to the health of any water ecosystem. They provide habitat and food for other animals, they stabilize the bottom floor, and filter the water and increase water clarity. Since the oysters in New York Harbor have disappeared the harbor isn’t as clean or productive as it could be.
The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has come up with a plan to try and re-colonize oysters starting in Jamaica Bay, and this plan calls for using toilets. To create a self-sustaining population, the project will install a floating long line, or oyster nursery. It consists of trays which are filled with 50,000 adult oysters that will eventually spawn. Then the next phase is to construct receiver beds, and this is where the toilets come in. Some 5,000 toilets were broken into small pieces and will be put on the bottom of Jamaica Bay. The broken pieces of toilets will be combined with clam shells and oyster shells. In total, 50 cubic yards of oyster shells, 700 cubic yards of clam shells, and 180 cubic yards of porcelain will be used to create four man made reefs. It turns out that porcelain is the perfect surface for young oyster larvae to attach to and grow on. This will be a three year project to determine how many of the oysters actually attach and grow and their survival rate. As a side note, keep in mind that the oysters will not be safe to eat, now or at any point in the near future.
Resource: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2016/09/07/oysters-recycled-toilets/
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Re: Toilets and Oysters
