“It’s a needle in a haystack,” Mr. McLaughlin said. “The odds are just tremendous.”In the 1800s, New York Harbor was covered in oysters, Mr. McLaughlin said, but because of overharvesting, dredging and pollution, they became functionally extinct there. “At one time, half of the world’s oysters were harvested in the New York Harbor.”Without oysters, New York Harbor’s ecosystem lacks a crucial element. An oyster bed is also an important habitat for species of fish that live in the small spaces between the oysters, Mr. McLaughlin said. “Think of them as a condominium.”Previous attempts to restore the population have been too small, Mr. McLaughlin said.

Source: New York Times September 05, 2016 00:56 UTC