John “Barley” Dunne, Director of The East Hampton Shellfish Hatchery and South Fork Sea Farmers shows how the new oyster seedlings that were grown at the Shellfish Hatchery, are prepared for growing in the harbor waters.
Town of East Hampton: The East Hampton Shellfish Hatchery is fully integrated, producing mass quantities of shellfish food, in the form of microalgae, conditioning broodstock to spawn both actively and passively, spawning and rearing larvae and producing and maintaining equipment.
Spawning as well as larval and early juvenile rearing take place at the Montauk hatchery site. Later juvenile nursery systems employing flowing ambient water are on Three Mile Harbor, East Hampton. Field growout systems consisting of on/off bottom bags, trays and nets reside in Napeague Harbor, Amagansett.
Each year, broodstock conditioning begins in January and spawning starts in February. A biweekly schedule of spawning is followed, conducting three spawns of each oysters and clams. Scallops are retrieved ripe, from the wild, and spawned immediately as conditions dictate, usually beginning in June. Eastern oysters are set singly on microcultch, and if surpluses exist, some may be set on shell, commonly referred to as spat on shell. By season’s end, hard clams reach a size of one half to three quarters of an inch, while oysters and scallops can grow to 1 ½ to 2 inches. After seeding, clams reach a harvestable size in 3 to 5 years, oysters in 1 to 3 years, and scallops in 1 year.
Join the fun and learn about oysters!
If you’re interested in becoming a “citizen oyster farmer” contact: John “Barley” Dunne at 631- 668-4601 – Ext. 7901 or email at JDunne@ehamptonny.gov.
Locations for oyster farming with The East Hampton Shellfish Hatchery on the east end: Accabonac Harbor, Hog Creek, Three Mile Harbor, Napeague Amagansett and Lake Montauk.
Maintenance of oysters with Jeff Ragovin of South Fork Sea Farmers- if you’re an oyster farmer, here is important information that will help your oysters grow and be healthy while they filtrate the waters, enhancing the health of the water and all that lives there!
John “Barley” Dunne explains how to clean oyster-growing gear and why it is so important to maintain it during the season.
Jeff Ragovin shows you how to easily shuck an oyster and what equipment you’ll need.