The ice formed slowly, latticing itself together on the surface of the water into small icebergs. Underneath the water, oysters fell into deep hibernation. Some would never wake up. As the freeze tightened its grip, sheets of ice locked around floating oyster cages, wrenching them from their anchors, dragging them across the waters, and crumpling them in their grasp.
The deep freeze this winter was the longest cold snap New York has experienced in 65 years.
Across the East End, oyster farmers are confronting widespread losses after a historic winter freeze destroyed equipment, wiped out portions of their crop and forced costly rebuilding just as inflation squeezes already thin margins.
With dozens of farms reporting damage, Suffolk County officials are now seeking a federal disaster declaration that could unlock insurance relief and federal aid, while growers reassess long-standing practices — and warn that the economic ripple effects could soon reach consumers in the form of higher oyster prices and fewer low-cost offerings.
‘Unbelievable’ losses
“This year was just unbelievable, the level of ice,” says Matt Ketcham of Peconic Gold Oysters. “I had these big sheets of ice and icebergs drifting back and forth, dragging stuff around and crushing my cages.”
“I usually buy $40,000 worth [of equipment] every year,” says Ketcham. “This year’s gonna be $80 to $120 [thousand]… It doesn’t matter if you had it made out of steel or aluminum or anything … the ice is gonna crush it …. Nothing will stop this ice, it’s so powerful.”
It’s a serious financial setback, especially for a business that already has thin margins. But compared to other farmers, Ketcham got off easy, as most of his equipment sits below the surface. The farmers who were hit the hardest were those who use floating cages.
Typically, floating cages, such as flip farms, are preferable to submersibles. The oysters grow faster toward the surface, there’s less threat of pests from the bay floor, and the motion of the waves naturally tumbles the oysters, reducing labor.
As Eric Koepele of North Fork Big Oyster explains, losing oysters is losing time. “If you lose oysters, that really hurts, especially if you put a lot of love and labor and time and money into it.”
Brand new cages ‘totaled’
But losing equipment is what really hurts the bottom line.
“You hope to get eight years out of your gear,” says Koepele. “I had a lot of brand-new cages in the water that just got totaled, or really smashed up …. Ordinarily, you don’t replace 10 acres of gear at a time, but that’s what we’re up against right now.”
The ice affected so much crop and equipment that the Suffolk County Economic Development Department has circulated a survey to all of the roughly 50 oyster farms on the East End, hoping to document the scale of the damage. As of March 25th, 35 East End oyster farmers responded, hoping the information would lead to a disaster declaration by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
That declaration, oyster farmers told the Sun, would help farmers cut through insurance red tape, fast-track crop-loss claims through the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA), and eventually recoup some losses.
The East End isn’t the only region in North America affected right now. As far south as the Chesapeake, oyster farmers are dealing with the effects of a deep freeze. And Canada has been dealing with a pathogen called MSX, or Multinucleate Sphere Unknown X, for the past few years. While it poses no threat to humans, it has a 90 to 95% oyster mortality rate.
The end of ‘buck-a-shuck’?
Between the rough winter and inflation, there may be a shortage of $1 oyster happy hours this summer, and maybe for the years to come, oyster farmers said.
“I think buck-a-shuck is gonna get a little bit hard to find,” said Koepele. “I’d love to be wrong.”
Ketcham agreed: “Over the last 10 years, everything has gone up except for the price [of oysters], so … I would say we are due for a price increase.”
The devastating winter is forcing some people to wonder just how sustainable oyster farming will be in the future.
“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,” said 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).
‘Whistling past the graveyard’
For the farmers, this spring is the time for a reality check.
“How do we build a strong foundation going forward?” Koepele wondered. “Sometimes you gotta break some eggs to make omelets, right? And nobody wanted to break all these eggs this winter, but since they’re broken, we might as well make some omelets. I think it’s a good time to rethink your practices.”
Koepele said that this winter taught farmers a significant lesson: that moving forward, floating cages are impractical.
“If they don’t adjust their wintertime practices, they’re whistling past the graveyard,” Koepele said. “Doing the same thing is the definition of insanity.”
How to help
This Saturday, April 4th, the Long Island Oyster Growers Association is coming together to do an oyster cleanup. Suffolk County has already begun deploying drones to map the most affected areas.
Those interested in helping out can sign up here, or head to Greenport Harbor Brewing Co., The Ram’s Head Inn on Shelter Island, or Kidd Squidd Brewing Co. in Sag Harbor from 9 – 11 am on the 4th to receive instructions. After the cleanup, each location will serve beer and oysters to volunteers as a thank you.
