Beneath the murky waters of New York City Harbor, a tiny population is hard at work trying to filter our polluted ocean. Oysters, once nearly wiped out, can filter water more efficiently than any manmade machine. A single adult oyster has the capability to filter up to 50 gallons of water every single day, yet we’ve overlooked their impact and nearly destroyed our marine life.
What if I told you the toxic NYC Harbour we know today used to be one of the most diverse and dynamic ecosystems on the planet? Before the 20th century, this haven held nearly half of the world’s oyster population, with over 220,000 acres of oyster reefs (roughly 1 billion). Yet today, just about a mere 18 acres remain (roughly 150 thousand) according to the Billion Oyster Project. Each oyster reef is incredibly biodiverse, serving as a habitat for over 300 different species. New York was renowned for its fresh oysters with street vendors attracting tourists from all over the world to visit this shellfish paradise. Now, the Harbor’s marine life is toxic for human consumption and you’d probably get impetigo from simply touching the water.
You might be wondering how one of the world’s richest marine ecosystems nearly vanished, well a major cause was destructive trawling. Trawling is when a large metal framed net is thrown onto the sea floor, tearing through reefs and destroying underwater habitats. Its purpose is to scoop up shellfish and other sea life to sell in large quantities. While this might not seem so harmful, it leaves a trail of devastation and significant waste. Unintended catches are killed and thrown overboard to sink and rot. Not only is this cruel but when it happens repeatedly in the same location, it doesn’t give ecosystems enough time to recover. Beyond our greed destroying habitats, trawling contributes to rising carbon emissions by burning large amounts of fuel that release stored carbon into the water and atmosphere.
As most people know, plants thrive off sun beams in order to perform photosynthesis. When hearing the word “plants,” many automatically picture greenery such as grass, flowers or trees, but in reality, more than half of Earth’s oxygen providers actually live in the sea. So, when water becomes polluted and cloudy due to the oyster population dropping, marine plants including sea plankton (producing 50-80% of Earth’s oxygen according to David Attenborough’s 2025 documentary “Ocean”) are impacted. Oysters filter water, allowing for more light penetration, so when you take the oysters out, there goes our clear water and healthy plants.
The “Billion Oyster Project” has made it their goal to restore the Harbour to the stable and biodiverse environment it once was. After being nearly wiped out permanently, this organization has restored over 150 million oysters, recycled 3 million pounds of shells, and over 30,000 NYC students are engaged.
These reefs not only protect the city from storm damage, filter water, trap carbon, provide sanctuary for marine life, and allow for light penetration, but I have to admit, they are delicious. So, I’m not saying that oysters should be completely banned from human consumption, but we need to stop over-consumption, pollution, and destructive trawling. If we work to restore what has been lost, our oceans still have a chance to bounce back.
