The New York State DEC has updated it’s policies to require that specifics about projects involving the harvesting/planting of seagrass and seagrass seeds be reported to the agency through the Seagrass Coordinator. This will help ensure proper tracking of seagrass transplanting efforts and adherence to best management practices in the Marine and Coastal District of New York.
For more details on the policy, visit the DEC Seagrass Management Webpage under the section “Seagrass Restoration and Research”. If there are any questions, please reach out directly to Della Campbell, Seagrass Coordinator, Marine Habitat, Division of Marine Resources, NYSDEC, (della.campbell@dec.ny.gov).
Please note that any proposed seagrass restoration project in East Hampton Town Trustee waters also needs a permit from the Trustees. The Trustees will also require any applicant to first coordinate with John ‘Barley’ Dunne, director of the East Hampton Town Shellfish Hatchery (JDunne@EHamptonNY.Gov), preferably, before contacting the DEC.