How oyster beds can rebuild New York harbor | WILD HOPE 

Local NY heroes! Thank you for bringing this project to life. It's folks like Pete and all the volunteers, restaurants, workers, and the living breakwater folks who got involved in the Billion Oyster Project that NYC is built on, and quite literally in this case!

My daughter was a student who studied scuba diving and rebuilding the harbor through a program at NY Harbor school and the one billion oyster project! Iim so happy that she was a part of this amazing program!❤️🙏🏽❤️

Born and raised in brooklyn, so I can confirm the cleaner water. The gowanus canal no longer stinks. The new marshes at the shirley chisolm park and around Mill Basin are teeming with wildlife like songbirds, newts and crabs; the environment reminded me so much of when I went kayaking in south carolina. The rockaway beaches have water so clear people can't believe it's nyc when I show them photos of teal colored water reminscent of the caribbean. I routinely see dolphins when I go to the beaches now, and whale watching companies have popped up...because the whales are back! Plus all the waterfront parks created post-Sandy [in brooklyn, staten island, and manhattan] are gorgeous. I love visiting these parks because there are so many recreational activities and gardens to enjoy. Headed in the right direction on this one, NY❣️

I read years ago that NY harbor was extremely clear in colonial times due to oysters. Dumping raw sewage and industrial waste killed the oysters. I'm glad you're doing this.

US & the EU should have a law in place where all oyster restaurants are mandated to collect the used shells for coastal rehabitation

Such a breath of fresh air to watch something positive about real normal people getting together to make a change. Thank you.😊

Restaurant worker here, it would require almost no extra time to separate shells into recycle containers. Everything gets sorted before it gets cleaned anyway, so it would only really require an extra bucket for oyster shells to go in.

Need a few thousand people like this man and we could transform our environment. Teaching kids how to be self sufficient and improve the environment is a win win. Grest job!

This is a great project. It's rejuvenating the harbor, inspiring young people, and bringing together the city.

From the uk. Have seen some videos about the use of oysters in the actual Hudson. This presentation is impressive because it brings nature, science, educational opportunities, engagement with local businesses and reconnects a City to the reason why it became a great city. Where I live we had a sea water pollution problem and you could not eat locally sourced shellfish. Not gone down the oyster route but this was interesting and inspirational. Thanks for sharing this!

Wow, I love this model of using oyster reefs as growing sea walls rather than expecting we will wall off the sea. Instead this is a much less invasive and more practical approach!

The water was probably crystal clean 500yrs ago. Thank god we have the ability today to fix the mistakes of the past. 🙏🏼

Terrific video ! The Clean Water act was one of the best pieces of legislation ever passed imo . Civilization can’t exist without clean water , period .

local, community led and organized rewinding projects like BOP are what I wish was happening everywhere. this is so sick, I can't even put it into words. BOP and other rewinding projects aren't silver bullet solutions but at a local level, they have profound impacts on the local area and I think that can't be dismissed; it matters and it must be taken care of. these people are doing such good work and thank you for highlighting it

Honestly one of the best docs I’ve seen in ages. You hit history, physiology, climate and society. Sooo well done and it makes me want to start this in Victoria BC. Cheers to all of you!!

Love this. Any kind of restoration and allowing Mother Nature to do what she does gives me hope!

Great video! Waterfront cities like New York should see the waterfront as a wonderful and precious *asset* rather than as a dumping-ground. That just leads to a city "turning its back" on the waterfront and *losing a huge part of its soul* in the process. Here in New Zealand, I think we've done well with how cities like Wellington and Auckland *embrace* their waterfronts and treat them as an *essential part* of the city. That leads to treating them with respect which is what these awesome New York projects are doing too!

I'm glad we as a species are finally reinvesting to rewild/ renature our world.

Great. Oysters do amazing work. Imagine it can get to the point where Sponges and Sea Cucumbers are also contribute. Crustaceans too. Many species in nature do cleaning work.

10:30 YES!!!! EXACTLY!!! The shells were not just a myth when it came to their value in trade! There is so much forgotten about the importance!!!!! I love this video!

It’d be great to see the NY harbor eventually get as alive again as Monterey Bay:))

Oysters ability to clean water is superb. Same with all the shellfish like giant clams and barnacles. We have to maintain them and not over-consume them to extinction.

Please keep making episodes! I am so glad I found this. I usually don't watch videos, but I'm glad I made the exception this time. From the calming voice of the narrator, to the scenes, the positive tone of the stories, I think it's so instructional and valuable. Keep going!

Thank you for bringing this story to my attention! What a beautiful, inspiring project. Glad to hear about it

Man I wish this was around when I was a kid in the 90's, every kid wanted to be a marine biologist back then and I grew up in NYC, I would have taken that long ass trip from where I was in brooklyn on the Ferry to get there. Very cool.

What an AWESOME concept and I "truly hope" that these people go down in history as visionaries and other places around the world take up the same concepts. 🥰

Hello from Okalhoma! Good Video! It's good to see an actual solution to a problem put in place instead of just Blah, Blah, Blah. The cool thing about oysters', clams and snails, they are little vacuum cleaners. They will clean the area even more once they take hold in a big way. As shown at about 14:00. We have invasive zebra mussels in our lakes here. Once they took hold, they cleared up the lake water a bunch. So glad someone is finding a solution to a problem!👍👍

that harbor seal clip really made me smile

Love the full circle that people have created to support our mother earth 💕

First I've heard of this initiative, and I love it. Especially how there's an ecosystem within the city that revolves around bringing these oysters back. Liked Subscribed Commenting for the algorithm Keep up the good work.

Finally something else that doom and gloom

Here in NZ we have wild Pasific Oysters that since 1972 now override our native oyster, by surprising them and taking over all our naturel tidal and part tidal areas. Oysters here make up most locals and tourist foods, the fatter the better. This program has certainly taught me a thing or to, to try with our oysters, and their empties that at the moment are used as roadway restoration, or poultry foods. I myself cannot get enough oyster shells for my gardens and my ducks to eat. Thank you for teaching this ole dog in tricks :)

Fabulous! So glad to see this. With all the incredible wealth in this city, it would be easy to fund these cures if only people’s’ hearts were in the right place. C’mon New York - do it!!! 👍🙏🏻❤

I love these series. Creativity in service of rewilding.

Ridiculous condition for NYC to still be dumping sewage into the river today.

This is a series of excellent projects, Billion Oyster Project and Living Breakwaters, as well as highlighting MutherShuckers. This is fantastic

the fact that only 50 restaurants are participating in recycling their oyster shells is extremely disappointing

Modern day world with its knowledge should really be building the earth instead of destroying it. There's hope, we owe it to our ancestors and future generations. Cant wait to see this in 15 years time.

What an amazing project. The difference in the harbor's waters is a testament to ALL of the hard work people have been doing since the passage of the Clean Water Act. I grew up not far from NYC in Northern NJ... and I can remember how bad the water quality was in the late 70s and early 80's. Keep up the EXCELLENT WORK.

There is an account written by a Dutch visitor to New Amsterdam. He traveled from New Amsterdam to Harlem. In the account he complains about how the roads on the island are all covered with peaches. After a night in Harlem, he and his small party cross over the East River and walk down along the East River. They stop at a farm near present day Williamsburg for dinner. The farmer goes out into the water and returns with a batch of oysters that were a foot long.

O shit. I gotta move back home and work for this guy.

So relieved to see restoration underway. One of my more depressing recent reads was about the New York oyster trade. From "Just wade in and grab an oyster ten inches long" to "don't eat the wiped-out stunted sewage and toxic waste pills" in just one century. (The same with the cod trade) That old attitude... that "See a natural resource? Consume it. All of it. Let nothing stand in the way of commodifying it to death" attitude is hard to grasp in modern retrospect.

So happy to see this! Am definitely sharing this. I'm a native long Islander

Great video! Inspiring to see.

I remember the waters of New York. I was young, little thing. My dad had small boat and took the family out for rides, fishing n picnics on some lost shore. I recall looking into the water as I crossed into the boat, looking over the side as we bobbed in the water. Glass clear water, I would see the plants growing on the bottom, the fish swimming around. THOSE were good days.

There really is no place like New York. The New York spirit is IMHO truly unique. The Billion Oyster Project and the Living Break waters project are both excellent projects.

This is fantastic. Thank you to the people doing this!!

As a New Yorker from Long Island, THIS IS BEAUTIFUL! I was driving to Coney Island from my moms the other day and saw all the beautiful shoreline parks that i've never been too because Long Island is a bubble... I wish I enjoyed Nature, and had a chance to help like this. PLEASSSSSE Bring recruitment to high schools for entry level positions, even if its just a summer project! (But i'm sure some kids would realize that this is more important than school and being apart of this project can be the perfect stepping stone for success)

I comment because this brought me much joy and I cannot like this twice 😁

I'm going to buy some oysters next week. Love them!

THIS IS SUCH an amazing project. I remember learning about this in 2014 when BOP just started and I was a freshman at NYU.

Haha I went to mothershuckers this weekend! I noticed they had a place to throw your used shells… glad it’s being used for this project

I love this project, i want all the best for everyone involved

wow... the project itself is a living thriving full of diversity ecosystem of its own. 👀 fascinating!

I worked as a wastewater treatment plant operator for years on the Pacific ocean coast in Washington state. Our plant was located next to a National Wildlife Refuge and was part of the ecosystem for the area. We watched the birds fly through the refuge in their regular seasonal migrations and viewed everything from shorebirds to Peregrine Falcons and Snowy Owls. Wildlife biologists would trap and band birds every year at our plant for their research purposes. The bay was filled with salmon, seals and occasionally orcas. Elk would visit us in the winter, along with other animals. The only problem with having such a great habitat for birds and other animals was the bird watchers who would expect to have access to every part of our plant! We had to put up signs and fences to keep people out of dangerous areas, and some of them were really upset with us when we told them that they had to stay out of our operations areas! I’ve had my rear end chewed out by little old lady bird watchers multiple times!

Beach Channel HS Alum here. Was in the short-lived Fine Arts program. So glad to hear the Oceanography school didnt get shut down when they decided to use the places as a teenage playpen for junior thugs.

Good to see. I wonder if the Harbour School has seen similar work being done here in Australia? In Sydney Harbour, in addition to remaking oyster reefs, there’s a program installing special sea wall tiles to facilitate the return of a variety of species using tile designs that mimic natural rock habitats. Turning walls with unfriendly straight concrete drops into habitat.

Amazing project to better the waters of the city !

One thing we can say about human kind is that ONE MAN OR WOMAN can make a difference in this world ❤❤

One thing my favorite elementary school science teacher taught me is that oysters can be paired with kelp. The oysters filter toxins and dirt, and the kelp takes in carbon and release oxygen. If you pair them, both plants get extra clean water, the kelp is protected from predators, and the oysters can be a 'cash crop' for the farmers that tend to the kelp forests.

The technology of oyster farming is an amazing process for cleaning out unwanted products out of water ways , I've been very interested in its applications and benefits, especially in areas that are over developing housing and industrial farmers because of their runoff waste. I think of how fisheries are impacted by these waste products and how they affect the salmon population. I look at all the major rivers that run from Central California into the estuaries of the Bay Area and feel this technology would be a huge benefit to our ecosystem and economy. Overall, it's a cleaner California for greater benefits.

omg the tank of water w oysters!!! magic cleaning!

What a true inspiration.

Incredibly exciting project!

Amazing video. I was unaware how important Oysters were to both the human history, and ecosystem of New York. It’s amazing to see the efforts to restore a critical keystone species. I hope other communities take inspiration and follow the example.

From food to savior of NYC

borys delgado said the oyster shells go back to ocean to be reborn again. beautiful!

I live in the Metro area and am so discouraged by the ongoing lack of prevention: the sewage discharge problem, the number of superfund cleanup sites that are coastal or contaminate our groundwater, the litter everywhere that enters storm drains and inevitably ends up in the rivers here, and because seemingly no-one cares. These 2 have amazing courage, discpline, tenacity, and purpose. They will need it going forward because they are fighting an uphill battle and have a LONG, LONG way to go.

wow i love this! so cool!

And build more oyster schools for kids, they would love it.

The driver/s of this initiative are modern day heroes, so different from the powder puffs we are seeing everywhere these days. Congratulations

Edgar Allen Poe wrote a book on bivalve mollusks. This is truly poetic ❤

Wow, this is so cool. Thanks for doing this. Makes me feel better about consuming only what's necessary, picking up trash, driving as little as possible, and trying to have behaviors that conserve. 😊

26.54, the flag of Scotland in the sky, always gives me goosebumps when i see it happen

This is SO cool!!!

“Until someone copies me” LMAO. Every time.

Beautiful,brilliant approach to restoration!

- 20:08 I lived in CT at the time of HURRICANE SANDY 🌀 it was one of the worst hurricanes. It destroyed everything in CT like NY. It was such a scary site to see.

It's inspiring seeing what these people are doing

So much we can learn from the design of the natural world.

Great projects. Imagine seeing dolphins, whales, and other wildlife in clear clean water in NYC.

Such a great project! Hopefully they or someone else also broadens the species and do something like muscles and / or kelp. Both are also great at cleaning and offers bio diversity... another MAJOR restoration we need to do as a civilization.

A well-done and inspiring video Thank you for the care and hard work going into this project...

Can’t wait to see an update!

this is so awesome!!!!

Like a triple OSHA violation at 6:31 lmao.

Great job. Please keep it up.

They should add program for low income family's. Like for student's that come low income family's for extra credit's and create Bop oyster scholarship. Have the young people to have set goal to really stride for. Keeping the land clean.

God bless Pete!

That’s the coolest high school. Mine was known for the lowest state test scores and the most tumble-weaves from cat fights

amazing presentation, tysm!

I know that New York Harbor used to have many oysters. When Europeans first came, they found huge oystershell middens. Throughout the 19th century oysters were the meat of the poor.

Serious question here re: the 7:20 minute mark of the video. The use of galvanized Gabion cages in this project brings up an important environmental consideration: the potential risk of lead contamination from the zinc coating used in galvanization. The primary concerns in this context are 1) Lead in Zinc Coating - he specific risk in the context of the Billion Oyster Project would depend on the lead content in the zinc used for the gabions. 2) Leaching into Waterways: Over time, the zinc coating on gabions can degrade, especially in marine environments, potentially releasing any lead present into the surrounding water. 3) Bioaccumulation in Oysters: Oysters are filter feeders and can accumulate heavy metals present in the water. If lead were to leach from the gabions, there's a potential for it to be absorbed by the oysters. The solution here is to use non-galvanized cages. (Arnell Milhouse)

im so glad i live in california which has enough advocacy to preserve our water and land

If the British can do it with the Thames River we can do it with NY harbor. Might need to remove a good bit of sewage from the river beds.

Loved that book.

Brilliant

What a great project. It deserves all the support it can get :-)

Keep up the great work !!! 😊😊😊

This is awesome