Photo: Suffolk County Executive Romaine inspects the first sugar kelp harvest (Credit – Matt Meduri)
For generations, Long Island has prided itself on its aquaculture. An economic bonus of the pristine and activity-rich coastal waterways, Suffolk’s aquaculture has required maintenance, protection, and rich community-driven stewardship to retain this angle unique to our corner of the map.
In efforts to propagate the “blue economy” in New York, Violet Cove Oysters, LLC and the Moore Family Charitable Foundation, Inc., became the first permitted commercial kelp grower in New York. However, in addition to the regional economic benefits, such a move intends to also send some of that money down to the household level by creating sustainable, well-paying jobs while also effectively absorbing carbon and nitrogen from the Eastern Bays to the South Shore Estuary.
Environmental leaders, community stakeholders, and elected officials gathered at Violet Cove Oysters in Mastic Beach Tuesday morning to celebrate the first harvest. Groups included the Cornell Cooperative, the Long Island Farm Bureau, Mastic Beach Conservancy, Pattersquash Creek, Mastic Beach Defenders, Mastic Beach Property Owners, Brookhaven Town Councilwoman Karen Dunne Kesnig (R-Manorville), and Sarah Lansdale, Commissioner of the Suffolk County Department Economic Development and Planning.
“A few months ago, many of us got together and kicked around the idea [of commercial kelp harvesting],” said Suffolk County Legislator Jim Mazzarella (R-Moriches). Mazzarella discussed how Sue Wicks, owner of Violet Cove Oysters, presented the idea of commercial kelp farming to the Brookhaven Town Board.
“The most important part is that we put together a business owner with a not-for-profit, with organized labor, with two different governmental agencies, and put this project together in approximately six months and got it done, and in government work, that’s lightning fast,” said Mazzarella. “And there’s really one reason for that, because all the players really care deeply about what it is that we are trying to accomplish here, and what we are accomplishing is expanding this amazing industry, the sugar kelp industry.”
Mazzarella said that phase two of the project was to bring in the kelp harvest, with the next phase encompassing more drying racks and a building on the property for education and entertainment.
“This is going to become a site for the community to be a part of this,” said Mazzarella. “I know the people of Mastic Beach feel that this site is near and dear to them. It’s going to become a reality and another reason why we’re going to put Mastic Beach on the map.”
Mazzrella referenced ongoing downtown revitalization initiatives taking place in Mastic Beach and that expanding Violet Cove Oysters is another aspect of that long-term goal.
“We are now showing that we can do an off-season grow with kelp. Kelp season starts in December and harvests in late April to early May, so it operates a little bit differently, in the cold weather,” said County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches).
Romaine spoke of the environmental benefits of kelp, namely in terms of water filtration and chemical absorption.
“One acre of kelp is equal to twenty-one Innovative-Alternative Wastewater (I/A) Systems to draw nitrogen out of the water. It’s a great crop. Also, people eat kelp, people use it as fertilizer, people use it for a lot of different things, and it benefits those who are involved in agriculture,” said Romaine.
Kelp is known for its many health benefits, including antioxidant properties, richness in calcium, iron, and protein, as well as its uses in weight control and improvement of thyroid health.
Romaine said he would like to see more kelp drying racks and a building open to the general public. He also said he would like to see more people involved and for Sue Wicks to be able to further expand her business.
“This is a great day because our environment is our economy; these are tied together,” said Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico (R-Center Moriches). “From these drying racks and a County-incorporated highway deposit yard right across from William Floyd High School will be the second phase.”
Panico said that Brookhaven Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro (R-Shoreham) has agreed to place a container on that property for additional aquaculture benefits.
“This is what this area should be known for. Everyone here has come together with a unified vision and purpose. For those people who know Mastic Beach lore and history, anything is possible in life,” said Panico.There is a united purpose and Mastic Beach has nothing but great things in store.”
Rob Carpenter, Administrative Director for the Long Island Farm Bureau, spoke highly of the initiatives taken by Sue Wicks, Brookhaven Town, and Suffolk County. The Long Island Farm Bureau is a non-governmental, volunteer-based organization that aims to solve economic and public policy issues challenging the agricultural industry.
“There’s so much great potential from having these marine plants in our lives, both from agriculture, for growing our crops as fertilizer and soil amendments, to actually making it a food supply that people can eat,” said Carpenter. “About ten years ago, we met with then-Supervisor Romaine and discussed aquaculture and said that we need to focus on more than just growing oysters and we suggested adding marine plants into the Brookhaven coves. We’re really excited about the opportunities on both the Town and County levels, and be sure to look for sugar kelp on your menus in local restaurants.
Sue Wicks, an oyster farmer and owner of Violet Cove Oysters, has embraced a generational profession going back four hundred years in her family’s history. One of her ancestors arrived in the United States from England in 1635, starting an ancestry of water-based commerce that, combined with her intrinsic Long Island heritage, reignited a passion to propagate aquaculture and give back to the environment.
Wicks said that when she discussed her vision with the Town, she wasn’t dealing with “politicians,” but “public servants,” as they were more than receptive to her plan.
“Our greatest asset on Long Island is the Bay,” said Wicks. “This is my Long Island. It’s a heritage that goes back to 1635, when my greatest grandfather was an original patent-holder in Stamford, Connecticut. He came to get Southold to join that Connecticut, but when he came to Long Island, he said, ‘forget Connecticut,’ and he settled here because he loved it so much.”
A Center Moriches native, Wicks, standing at 6’3,” enjoyed a college basketball career that would lead her to the WNBA, where she played with the New York Liberty from 1997 to 2002. She finished her professional career as the number-eight leader of all times in shots blocked.
The world was her oyster, but when she came back to Long Island and saw how “diminished” the aquaculture was, she preferred if the oysters were her world instead.
“It was painful to see this water, the beauty, and the things that connected me to my great-grandfather diminished,” said Wicks. She referenced the diminished eel fishing in Pattersquash Creek that connected her to her great-grandfather and the diminished clamming that connected her to her father.
“My grandmother in Nova Scotia would always ask me to bring some of the oysters from Long Island,” said Wicks. “But when I saw that they didn’t propagate any longer in these bays, my connection to my grandmother diminished.”
“This is an American story, this is a Long Island story, because we all have a story with that Bay,” said Wicks. “Our grandfather took us out fishing, crabbing, and eeling; we belong to this. And I think the attitude of being a servant to this Bay now, and that the community wants to help, is very encouraging for a small business operator to have. I come here with gratitude today that I get to do what I love, to work on the water. Brookhaven has the greatest, most prolific aquaculture program on Long Island because we have the most support. I believe we can do great things together.”
The press conference concluded with a sample of the first kelp harvest fresh off the drying racks, which The Messenger would describe has a seaweed-esque taste, although not as strong. It has a sweet, savory, and salty flavor with an umami profile.
Sugar kelp is rich in iodine and can be eaten fresh, dried, raw, or cooked. When dried, it forms a sweet, white powder along the blade.
Violet Cove Oysters is located at 2 Violet Road in Mastic Beach.