Moriches Bay Project Announces FLUPSY Installation

East Moriches – The Moriches Bay Project and Cornell Cooperative Extension have installed a FLUPSY (Floating Upweller System) in Moriches Bay at Windswept Marina in East Moriches.  This is the latest joint effort by the two parties and the Town of Brookhaven to improve water quality in Moriches Bay, once home to a variety of shellfish that naturally filtered the water to help keep the bay clean. The establishment of the FLUPSY will cultivate more than a half million hard shellfish annually, and will further Moriches Bay Project’s goal to increase shellfish plantings in the Bay, while engaging and educating the community  on the importance of these initiatives to the overall health of the Bay.  Funding for the FLUPSY was provided by the Island Outreach Foundation, Inc. Pictured left to right are Cornell Cooperative Extension Executive Director Vito Minei, Supervisor Ed Romaine, Moriches Bay Project Co-founder Laura Fabrizio and Councilman Dan Panico.

Supervisor Romaine said, “The oyster restoration program in Moriches Bay helps to preserve our marine life and protect the environment. Our partnership with the Moriches Bay Project and Cornell Cooperative has been very beneficial to the bay and we will continue our work with them to make progress in maintaining and growing the shellfish population.”

Councilman Panico said, “As residents of an island, our waterways are directly tied to our environment, our economy and our quality of life. Our bays, the Long Island Sound and our local estuaries are treasures that should be protected and cleaned for future generations.  I am confident that the Town of Brookhaven can deliver cleaner bodies of water by partnering with great organizations such as the Moriches Bay Project.”

Oysters and hard-shelled clams provide crucial environmental benefits by filtering algae, which bloom when there is excessive nitrogen and other organic compounds in the water.  The removal of these algal blooms increases both the clarity and the overall quality of the water. These shellfish, once matured, also provide shelter for other small organisms which entice larger fish to the area, promoting biodiversity in the bay. Pictured above holding oysters is Kim Tetrault from Cornell Cooperative on board the FLUPSY.

The Moriches Bay Project™ is an aquatic restoration program created in 2013, by the West Hampton Dunes Barrier Beach Association, a 501(c)(3) non-profit volunteer organization, and by First Coastal Corporation, a coastal environmental consulting firm based out of Westhampton Beach. As a mission to improve overall water quality in Moriches Bay, and increase its environmental productivity, the Moriches Bay Project is dedicated to re-establishing populations of shellfish and eelgrass to this fragile marine environment. Through stewardship, partnership, and community awareness, the Moriches Bay Project hopes to make long-term improvements to the bay and empower the community with knowledge to counteract local environmental problems. To learn more, go to www.morichesbayproject.org.

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