Barnegat Bay Oyster Operation Grows 10 Million Mollusks To Restore NJ Waters

The Barnegat Oyster Collective runs a 12-acre aquaculture farm. Ten million oysters grow beneath the water at High Bar Harbor, just west of Barnegat Light on Long Beach Island. Co-founders Matt Gregg and Scott Lennox started this operation almost a decade ago to boost oyster numbers and improve the health of Barnegat Bay.

Sixteen farms stretch between Mantoloking and Great Bay. Oysters filter the bay's water while eating. This cleans the ecosystem.

Gregg and Lennox bought their waterfront property on Double Creek in Barnegat three years ago, in part, "because our workable waterfront is shrinking," said Gregg, according to Asbury Park Press.

The process starts at the nursery where oyster seeds, between 10 and 12 weeks old, grow until they reach just over half an inch. The mollusks then move to the water farm where they need one or two growing seasons to reach between 3 and 5 inches — each season lasts six months.

Water conditions determine how fast they grow: warm water means more algae, an oyster's primary food source. Three generations of oysters grow on the farm at any given time.

The farmers' oysters are sold at a retail market on the Barnegat property, online, and to 200 restaurants across New Jersey, New York, and Philadelphia. At the Shore, Sugar Shack oysters show up on menus at Anjelica's Restaurant in Sea Bright, Ember & Eagle in Eatontown, Shipwreck Grill in Brielle, and Black-Eyed Susans in Harvey Cedars.

The operation is helping restore New Jersey's oyster population after decades of decline caused by over-harvesting and disease. Bay waters have been damaged by lawn fertilizers and increased impervious surfaces on land, which leak nitrogen into the water.

This "encourages the growth of macroalgae, which chokes out the bottom (of the bay)," Gregg said. "Clams can't exist. Oysters sink in."

Signs of a healthy ecosystem now show up on the farm. The shallow water is filled with eelgrass, which helps clean the water and provides a habitat for sea life. Oyster shells are covered in the eggs of the oyster toadfish.

A seasonal restaurant and raw bar runs at the property, led by farm-to-table catering company Haute Feast. The husband-and-wife team of Carey Semprevivo and Chef Pablo Toxqui run the dining component, which was added last summer.

The menu changes based on seasonal ingredients from partner farms. These include Kula Urban Farm in Asbury Park, Jeff's Organic Produce in Cream Ridge, and Two River Gourmet Mushrooms in Millstone Township.