Pallone-Secured Funds Drive Major Milestone in Bay Restoration with Deployment of 80 Oyster Castles at Naval Weapons Station Earle

ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS, NJ - Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) today celebrated a significant advancement in efforts to restore the Raritan and Sandy Hook Bays with the installation of 80 seeded oyster castles-an innovative project made possible through federal funds he secured. This initiative seeks to enhance marine biodiversity, strengthen New Jersey's coastal defenses, and address climate impacts with nature-based solutions.

"Today marks a huge milestone in a transformative project to protect and revitalize our coastal communities," said Pallone. "With the federal funds I've secured, we're using innovative solutions like oyster castles to restore marine ecosystems, improve water quality, and safeguard against flooding and erosion. By strengthening natural defenses, we're making New Jersey's coastline more resilient to the impacts of climate change. This kind of collaboration between science, federal investment, and local action is exactly what we need to protect our environment and our communities."

The project involves placing 80 Oyster Castles, seeded with oyster larvae, at a living shoreline site at Naval Weapons Station Earle in Sandy Hook Bay. Once deployed, the oyster castles will remain in place on the bay bottom and monitored for oyster growth and survivorship, biodiversity, and how well the structures mitigate flooding and erosion, providing critical protection to nearby communities. The site will be expanded with additional oyster castles set with oyster larvae in 2025.

The installation builds on upgrades to Monmouth University's aquaculture facility at Naval Weapons Station Earle, funded by federal dollars championed by Pallone. Recent improvements include new tanks and enhanced heating systems, setting the stage for this crucial step in reef restoration.

This milestone follows the July 2024 announcement of a $72 millionfederal investment to reduce flood risks for all New Jersey coastal counties by implementing natural flood barriers in communities such as oyster reefs to slow down storm surge or plant installations, like gardens along city streets, and new permeable parking lots that reduce runoff during extreme rain events.

In 2021, Pallonealso secured a $1.7 million coastal resiliency investment. Led by NY/NJ Baykeeper with support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation National Coastal Resilience Fund and NOAA, the federal funding focuses on using nature-based solutions and marsh restoration to stabilize 3,200 feet of shoreline. These efforts reduce wave energy, mitigate storm surge, and prevent erosion, exemplifying the nature-based solutions Pallone has championed through his Living Shorelines Act.

Local partners, including Naval Weapons Station Earle and Monmouth University's Urban Coast Institute(UCI), were instrumental in bringing these projects to life.

"The UCI is fortunate to partner with Naval Weapons Station Earle on several projects that will make the facility, neighboring communities and the environment more resilient and sustainable. This work would not be possible without the support of Congressman Pallone," UCI Director Tony MacDonald said. "With today's addition, the total number of castles deployed off the station's waterfront has grown to over 600, making it a unique site to collect data on the potential of oyster restoration and nature-based solutions for improving resilience and ecosystem health in New Jersey's urban waters."