NOTE: Using kelp to help reduce nitrogen in Long Island waters was the subject of Dr. Christopher Gobler's May 27th press conference at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) Marine Science Center at Stony Brook Southampton. This research was sponsored by Suffolk County, New York Sea Grant, the New York Farm Viability Institute, and USDA. Below is a media mention related to this announcement.

— Filed by Desiree D'iorio for WSHU Public Radio

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Stony Brook, NY, May 31, 2021 - Environment groups and scientists on Long Island have announced an incentive program that will pay oyster farmers to grow kelp.

New research from Stony Brook University reveals 10,000 pounds of kelp removed 36 tons of nitrogen from Long Island surface waters.

New York State Assemblyman Fred Thiele supports a bill to expand the program and allow more farmers to grow kelp.

“Nitrogen is public enemy number one when it comes to water quality. And there’s no one single, silver bullet,” Thiele said.

Thiele said cleaning the water with kelp, updated septic systems and less fertilizer use can all help improve water quality.

Scientists say the nitrogen credit program is the first of its kind in New York.


More Info: New York Sea Grant

New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York (SUNY), is one of 34 university-based programs under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant College Program.

Since 1971, NYSG has represented a statewide network of integrated research, education and extension services promoting coastal community economic vitality, environmental sustainability and citizen awareness and understanding about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources.

Through NYSG’s efforts, the combined talents of university scientists and extension specialists help develop and transfer science-based information to many coastal user groups—businesses and industries, federal, state and local government decision-makers and agency managers, educators, the media and the interested public.

The program maintains Great Lakes offices at Cornell University, SUNY Buffalo, SUNY Oswego and the Wayne County Cooperative Extension office in Newark. In the State's marine waters, NYSG has offices at Stony Brook University in Long Island, Brooklyn College and Cornell Cooperative Extension in NYC and Kingston in the Hudson Valley.

For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube links. NYSG offers a free e-list sign up via www.nyseagrant.org/nycoastlines for its flagship publication, NY Coastlines/Currents, which is published quarterly.