New Jersey lawmakers approved a bill that would end a ban on experimental oyster reefs nearly six years after the state ordered colonies dug up and removed from waterways.
The bill approved by the state Senate allows environmental and research groups to establish colonies in polluted waters, including Raritan Bay, as long as the colonies are invisible to and not easily accessible to the public. It had previously passed the Assembly.
Oyster beds serve as a natural filter that remove contaminants, sediments and impurities from waterways. Scientists also see them as a potential way of buttressing wetlands and shorelines against storm surges and erosion.
Environmental groups had established two experimental reefs in Keyport and Red Bank before the state ordered them removed in 2010, citing concerns that poachers might steal the mollusks and sell them on the market. Any disease outbreaks caused by such oysters could taint the entire $800 million shellfish industry, DEP officials argued.
The two sides continued to spar while oyster restoration projects in New York State greatly expanded, in stark contrast to New Jersey's ban.
Baykeeper and Rutgers University, meanwhile, began growing oysters on the heavily guarded Naval Weapons Station Earle, where armed patrols were deemed sufficient to ward off potential poachers.
The new bill, sponsored by Assemblyman Carmelo Garcia (D-Hudson) and Senator Gerald Cardinale (R-Bergen), would allow the reefs to be established in polluted waters, so long as adequate measures are taken to prevent poaching. The program will be reviewed again after one year.
The oysters are for research only, not human consumption or sale. The bill would have no effect on oysters grown in cleaner waters of Delaware and Barnegat Bays and other waterways approved for the cultivation of oysters for eating.
"Oyster reefs are able to strengthen coasts by adding a natural protective barrier against flooding and erosion," said Meredith Comi, oyster restoration director for the NY/NJ Baykeeper. "After Hurricane Sandy, it became clear that coastal resiliency should have become an immediate priority. However, NJDEPs 2010 ban on shellfish restoration activities made efforts nearly impossible."
The bill now heads to Gov. Chris Christie.
Brian Donohue may be reached at bdonohue@njadvancemedia.com Follow him on Twitter @briandonohue. Find NJ.com on Facebook.