The Town of Islip Shellfish Culture Facility is located at the end of Bayview Avenue, East Islip Adjacent to the East Islip Marina.
We raise approximately forty million Hard Clam Seed Annually to assist in the recovery of the hard clam population and revitalize the public resource.
The Town has developed a Shellfish Management Program to stabilize the declining trend of the shellfish population and rebuild stocks to levels that would provide optimum yields for commercial as well as residential shellfish harvesters. As a major component for this program, the Town established a hard clam hatchery for the primary purpose of stocking a significant quantity of large hard clam seed into Great South Bay. The millions of clams produced each year at the Hatchery are planted directly into the bay to augment the harvestable population.
The Hatchery has seed for sale, which is available for other municipalities and private companies interested in growing out seed for commercial or reseeding ventures.
The clams that are grown at the Hatchery have special markings on the shell in a zigzag or sunburst pattern. They are called Notata, or reds by the baymen. The clams are no different from regular hard clams, except for the shells. However, these clams are used in most Hatcheries to be easily identified as "cultured" clams. They are also naturally very rare in the bay. This Hatchery uses them so that they are easily recognizable when harvested, or sampled during the Town's bay bottom survey. So the next time you see a clam that looks like this, it probably came from a Hatchery!
The Hatchery also serves as a marine environmental and educational center for local schools and youth groups, as well as for all Town residents. You may call (631) 224-5764 for more information.
copyright: Merri Zielenski