Gone with the Wynns · video

What this video covers

The Billion Oyster Project works to restore oyster reefs in New York Harbour to improve water quality and provide storm surge protection.3:45 Historically, the harbour contained over 220,000 acres of oyster reefs, but over-harvesting and pollution decimated the population by 1910.5:58 Because a single oyster filters up to 50 gallons of water daily, the organisation uses recycled shells from local restaurants as substrate for new reefs.5:52 They operate remote setting facilities using retrofitted shipping containers equipped with heaters, pumps, and plumbing to grow up to 10 million oysters per tank.11:31 These reefs also serve as educational tools for local middle school STEM curricula, allowing students to monitor water quality and ecosystem health.6:18 However, the harbour remains unsafe for swimming or eating shellfish due to combined sewer overflows that discharge untreated wastewater during rain events.8:15 The project aims to reach a capacity of 100 million oysters annually by 2024.12:18

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