Thursday, October 1, 2026
Oyster Bay’s Friends of the Bay took to the water for the third installment of its Re-Clam the Bay initiative. The organization began the program in the spring to restore clam populations that have depleted over the last decade.
Over two days in May, 20,000 mature hard-shell clams were put into the water. The same number of clams were added during the third drop on Sept. 18. The Town of Oyster Bay Department of Environmental Resources, Oakcliff Sailing Center and the Oyster Bay Marine Center supported the clam drop, which included providing boats.
Christine Suter, executive director of Friends of the Bay, described it as “a real community effort.”
“We approached them just to say ‘We’re doing this project. We need some extra support. Would you guys be interested?’” she said. “And there wasn’t even a question. They were happy to do it.”
Roughly 20 people, including Friends of the Bay members and volunteers, met at Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park and delivered the clams to three sanctuaries protected by the town. The sanctuaries are located in Oyster Bay Harbor, Mill Neck Creek and Cold Spring Harbor.
The clams used in the initiative are dug by local baymen. Friends of the Bay then purchases them from Captree Clam, which acts as a wholesaler.
“These clams that otherwise would have been harvested and then gone to become clam chowder in a restaurant,” Suter said, “we’re keeping them in the bay and putting them into protected areas so that they can act as broodstock and spawn, and hopefully help bolster the clam populations in the surrounding areas of the sanctuary over time.”
Clams, like oysters, filter the water they occupy. While oysters can filter roughly 50 gallons of water a day, clams filter roughly 24. Suter explained that Friends of the Bay is focusing on clams because of recent findings that clams may be more resilient in the bay right now.
“I would say the number one thing is to help restore the clam population,” she added. “Not to say we’re taking away from anything that’s being done with oysters, but sort of a co-project to support overall shellfish restoration.”
Locally dug clams are quahog clams, found in waters from northern Canada to Florida. Aside from helping to restore native clam populations, Suter said using these clams eliminates concerns about clams from elsewhere carrying disease.
Suter emphasized that the project is community-driven and added that people have been enthusiastic about supporting it and contributing.
“Friends of the Bay is really grateful for all of the support we’ve gained for this project, including from the Department of Environmental Resources, Oakcliff, OBMC and the other organizations we’ve been collaborating with,” Suter said, “as well as everybody who’s enthusiastically volunteered to help with it.”
She added that the organization is fundraising to continue the initiative next year, resuming in the spring.
To learn more about Friends of the Bay, visit FriendsOfTheBay.org.
