Woodbridge Wolfpack Ice Hockey Players Build Raritan Bay Oyster Reefs

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — This winter, the Woodbridge Wolfpack youth ice hockey club volunteered with PSE&G to make oyster reefs in Raritan Bay and New York harbor.

They did this through Rinks2Reef, an oyster gardening effort makes reefs for oysters using broken ice hockey sticks, building them and layering them into artificial oyster reefs.

The artificial oyster reefs will be installed at the Naval Weapons Station Earle Aquaculture Facility off the coast of Monmouth County. At that facility, the oyster larvae are grown and then released into the New York, New Jersey Baykeeper’s oyster reefs in Raritan Bay and monitored for growth and survivorship through the Oyster Gardening Program. This program uses the oysters’ natural filtration system to remove pollutants and turbidity from the water.

Baykeeper Urban Outreach and Education Coordinator Keion Antonio Walker described oysters as “bio-engineers.”

“Each oyster can filter about 50 gallons of water a day, purifying the water as they get their food,” he said.

“The oysters will continue to help the water get clearer, allowing more sunshine to get deeper into the water and stimulate grasses to grow,” said Hugh Carola, Hackensack Riverkeeper captain. "Grasses add oxygen and provide a sanctuary and productive habitat for baby fish to be protected from predators.”

“I’ve been collecting broken hockey sticks to build a piece of furniture or something for the lawn, instead, I decided to donate them to support Rinks2Reef – combining my love for hockey with my dedication to sustainability," said PSEG Environmental Project Manager Jack Lenhart, who still plays hockey.

“We are grateful that PSE&G has such a long-lived and enthusiastic volunteer team,” Remaud said. “This is the second oyster-based project in which Baykeeper and PSE&G volunteers have worked. In 2015, the volunteers constructed 20 Taylor Floats to support oyster gardening initiatives to help restore the estuary so the waterways can be safely used for recreational purposes.”

The artificial oyster reefs also help to protect the coastline against erosion.