The endless vistas of farm fields and waterways on the East End are something we’ve grown so used to seeing that we take them for granted, not realizing that their fate could have been to become an endless montage of strip malls and suburban subdivisions, like much of western Long Island.
Ben Gonzalez of Southold Bay Oysters holds a cage of farmed oysters. (Credit: Charity Robey)
For some people on the East End, speaking out against oyster farming is like opposing the adoption of rescue puppies. But at a series of public hearings before the Suffolk County Legislature this winter, yacht clubs, boaters and owners of waterfront property did just that.
On March 2, the Suffolk County Legislature approved the continuation of the county’s 10-year-old aquaculture lease program (known as SCALP) with a boatload of amendments, including a 43% reduction in the underwater acreage that can be leased and new fees for growers. Legislator Bridget Fleming (D-Southampton) called it a good compromise that both sides were unhappy.
Column: Oyster growers face a new challenge - Riverhead News Review timesreview.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from timesreview.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Ben Gonzalez,left, and Dave Daly with Paco at their Shelter Island home. (Credit: Charity Robey)
When Ben Gonzalez and Dave Daly decided to start an oyster farm, Dave knew exactly where he wanted to raise bivalves.
His great-grandfather, Thomas Daly, bought a large Southold property in 1919 to get his family away from the flu pandemic sweeping through New York. He put down roots, and over the decades the family extended and built houses all around him. Dave grew up sailing in Southold Bay, and riding the ferry across to Shelter Island for ice cream.
Dave and Ben picked out an underwater lease site in Southold Bay for their new farm in 2013, one of the 10 leases granted by Suffolk County for aquaculture that year.