SOAR Program Deploys 51,000 Oysters

Last week, the Supporting Oyster Aquaculture and Restoration (SOAR) Program conducted its first oyster deployments in New York of 2024. SOAR, a collaboration between The Pew Charitable Trusts and The Nature Conservancy , purchases oysters from farmers and replants them in areas designated for restoration, which both advances ecosystem health and supports the oyster industry.

Working with farmers to restore oysters holds a lot of promise for our coastal communities and the ecosystem on which they depend. Oysters filter water, making it cleaner and clearer, and their reefs offer refuge and habitat for many wildlife species. They also absorb wave energy, increasing the coast’s resilience to storms.

SOAR, which was established in 2020 to economically support oyster growers when COVID-19 shuttered restaurants throughout the country, relaunched in early 2023. It’s successful largely because of the partnerships behind the work. For example, as part of last week’s deployment of 51,000 oysters, SOAR worked with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation , Town of Oyster Bay , Friends of the Bay , Stony Brook University , Adelphi University , and many others, to identify a location for restoration and get the oysters replanted.

Looking ahead, I’m excited about what SOAR and its partners can achieve together as the program advances in New York, with more deployments planned later this year. To learn more about SOAR, read this Pew analysis about it and visit: https://www.nature.org/soar.