New state funding aimed at strengthening Long Island’s aquaculture sector is expected to deliver a boost to some East End oyster farms, still recovering from a punishing winter that wiped out millions in production.
Last week, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced $3 million in grants to 14 small businesses through the second round of the Long Island Aquaculture Infrastructure Grant Program, part of a broader effort to stabilize and expand the region’s shellfish economy.
Several East End oyster operations are among the awardees, including Hampton Oyster Co., Oysterponds Shellfish, Peconic Gold Oysters, East Hampton Oyster Co., Little Ram Oyster Co. and North Fork Big Oyster .
Matt Ketcham of Peconic Gold Oysters was awarded funds for an industrial-sized ice machine and screw anchors — metal anchors that are corkscrewed into the seabed to hold ropes, cages and floating gear in place.
“The ice machine I’ve needed for years because I spend up to $100 a day on ice during the heat of the season, and screw anchors are going to help me make more efficient use of my lease space,” Ketcham said.
“I’m gonna have to spend a lot of money on equipment still, but for the long term sustainability of my business, this is a major help.”
‘Fastest-growing sector’
The long winter’s extended deep freeze crushed cages, damaged gear and erased significant portions of this year’s crop.
The grants will support infrastructure upgrades, ranging from docks and processing facilities to new equipment and staging areas, allowing growers to streamline operations, increase production capacity and, in some cases, change how they farm in the face of more extreme weather patterns.
Long Island’s aquaculture sector — dominated by shellfish — accounts for more than a quarter of all farms in the region, with more than 150 operations in Suffolk County alone. Combined sales exceeded $14.5 million in 2022, according to the governor’s office.
Yet most oyster farms are small, family-run businesses operating on tight margins, where a single extreme weather event can trigger cascading financial losses.
Bill Zalakar, executive director of the Long Island Farm Bureau, said this winter underscored both the vulnerability and the importance of the sector.
“Long Island’s aquaculture industry is one of the fastest-growing sectors of agriculture in the region,” Zalakar said. “However, along with all the challenges that continue to affect our growers, the extreme weather this past winter took a serious toll on our aquaculture farmers.”
The combination of state infrastructure grants and a pending federal disaster designation, requested by Hochul last month following an estimated $2.4 million in winter losses, could go a long way in repairing the damage.
For oyster growers, resilience is increasingly tied to operational changes.
The winter freeze has already prompted some farmers to reassess the widespread use of floating cages, which promote faster growth but proved especially vulnerable to ice damage. Others are considering investments in more durable gear or different wintering strategies — decisions that could be accelerated by the new funding.
But the past winter was devastating.
“If it takes one cold winter to put you out of business and you’ve gotta drop another $30- or $40,000 on cages, that’s not a good business plan,” Jeremy Garretson, a photographer working on an oyster project, who captured the effects of this winter’s ice for the Sun (see video above and pictures), told us in March.
Losses from the winter are expected to tighten supply, and some growers have already warned that the days of “buck-a-shuck” oysters may be numbered as costs rise and production dips.
Even so, the focus among East End oyster farmers has shifted decisively toward what comes next.
With new capital flowing into infrastructure and the possibility of federal relief on the horizon, growers are entering the season ready to rebuild smarter, adapt faster and continue to protect their fragile industry.
