Starfish.... And Other Threats

"The fishermen are gone; the lobsters are gone.....

Shellfishing's the one thing that remains"

Wherever oysters thrive, starfish are likely to follow. When Bren hoisted the cage on board, several starfish  could be seen clinging to the grow-out-bag. They are an oyster's biggest predator, and it's a never-ending struggle to keep them from devouring the harvest. Combined with the threats from pollution, oysters are incredibly vulnerable in Long Island Sound.

There are more subtle enemies of the industry, as well.

In the early morning hours, Stony Creek has the look of a sleepy waterfront village that's somehow remained forgotten. For the most part, the houses here are relatively modest in size, and you don't see the usual assortment of seafood restaurants, gift shops, and other tourist oriented businesses which often dominate  many shoreline towns. If you're looking to buy a Life Is Good or Black Dog tee-shirt, this is not the place.

Stony Creek was "discovered" long ago, but a great deal of effort and money is spent preserving its understated aura. Once an eclectic mix of summer residents, artists, quarrymen, fishermen, and assorted tradesmen who serviced the islands, it's become increasingly one-dimensional in recent decades. There's a Currier & Ives existence that's still embraced, but it's ornamental. The working waterfront is now residential houses, with oars and fishing gear precisely accenting their entryways. The word "quaint" gets tossed around a bit too much.



These real-estate pressures mean that Bren has no garage or workshop in town to repair his gear, process his oysters, or store supplies. With only a parking space for his truck, he has overcome these obstacles through innovative self-sufficiency.

In the bed of his truck rests a solar and battery powered refrigerator he uses to transport the oysters from the waterfront to market. Used by the armed forces in the deserts of Iraq and Afghanistan, this is an expensive piece of equipment allowing him to operate without access to waterfront electricity. It also meets the regulatory safety requirements for transporting shellfish.



Now, if only there was a piece of equipment to keep the starfish and pollution at bay.

Soundbounder: Stony Creek 6am (part 1)

Soundbounder: Just Your Local Oysterman (part 2)

Soundbounder: Hauling The Cage  (part 3)

Yale Sustainable Food Project

Our Ocean, Our Lives: The Last Oyster Haul?

Hauling The Cage

Unlike the oysters growing in beds on the bottom of the Sound, Bren's are cultivated in cages which he tends to on a daily basis. These are rectangular, wire mesh contraptions resembling a large lobster pot at first glance. Closer inspection however, reveals there are shelves, or trays inside, supporting the oysters.

Oyster seedlings are grouped in a grow out bag, then placed inside the cage, and lowered into the water. As the oysters grow, they are switched to larger 'bags' with wider mesh to maximize waterflow, yet still restrict predators. It is not an exact science, so an ongoing degree of experimentation is always taking place. Some years, the oysters thrive inside the larger mesh, while in others, a smaller size is needed to thwart preying starfish. Through careful monitoring, the entire balancing act from seedling to harvest takes about three years.

Peter, Helen and myself were also seeking an equilibrium. We were trying to learn as much as possible, without interfering with the work at hand. Some moments were more successful than others!

As Bren began to raise the cage, we gathered around him for a better view. The boat immediately listed hard to starboard before we quickly moved away, providing some ballast. When you're on board with a small, independent, Thimble Islands oysterman, a balancing act can mean many different things.

Thimble Island Oyster Company

Soundbounder: Stony Creek 6am part 1

Soundbounder: Just Your Local Oysterman part 2

Soundbounder: Starfish...And Other Threats part 4

Just Your Local Oysterman

Bren wasn't kidding when he said he never learned to swim. Raised along the shores of Newfoundland, the short summers and biting temperatures of the Labrador Current didn't provide many swimming opportunities. A rugged coastline with a strong maritime tradition, the connection to the sea there is mostly through labor, not recreation. How ironic I thought, for him to now be in Long Island Sound where the reverse equation often exists today.



A man of many hats, Bren worked a variety of jobs including longlining in the Bering Sea, 'sliming' in the canneries of Alaska, and lobstering north of Boston. When the crooked road of life brought him to Connecticut, he drove a lumber truck while also partnering with his girlfriend in a woodcrafting business which uses reclaimed materials*. About seven years ago, the Branford waters were reopened to commercial shellfishing, and he jumped at the chance to return to the sea.



His Thimble Island Oyster Company grows and harvests oysters along with some clams, on 60 aquatic acres leased from the state. The numbers fluctuate from year-to-year, but his annual harvest averages around 100,000 shellfish. While that may appear to be a large number, it is a relatively small amount when compared to other shellfish companies on the Sound. Bren estimates that his annual harvest is less than what Norwalk's Bloom Shellfish Company may harvest in a month.



Though a small operation, he is able to earn a living so long as he keeps his overhead costs low: no secretary or pricey boat.... no hired help to do the heavy lifting. Most important, he is doing what he loves - and that's not too shabby for a Newfie who can't swim.



Thimble Island Oyster Company

Community Supported Fisheries Program

Soundbounder: Stony Creek 6 a.m. part one

Soundbounder: Hauling The Cage part three

Soundbounder: Starfish...And other Threats part four



*Bren continues to supplement his income, partnering with his girlfriend Nicola in their woodcrafting business using reclaimed materials. Bleacher seats from the Yale Bowl are reincarnated as mirror frames, and wood from Brooklyn watertowers become flower pots. You can find them at the Union Square Market during the holiday season.

Nicola & The Newfoundlander

New York Times: Reclaimed Words in Fort Greene

Stony Creek, 6 a.m.

Oystering on Long Island Sound is not always a large enterprise. Early Thursday morning, I arrived at the Stony Creek docks to meet Brendan Smith of the Thimble Island Oyster Company. This is an independent, one-man operation, with Brendan (or Bren) serving as captain, deckhand, marketing director, and part-time mechanic.



Finding a parking space along the narrow streets of Stony Creek can be a chore. The fact that I had a choice of several prime spots was a quick reminder of just how early in the morning it was. Bren was already there, and after some friendly small-talk, there were tasks which began to present themselves. We carried some gear and a large cooler full of ice to the end of the dock, to load into a small skiff which would carry us to his boat in the mooring field. But before we could do that, some rainwater in the skiff needed to be bailed.



Stony Creek is an attractive harbor with the Thimble Islands scattered just beyond its entrance. In the village however, most of them are obscured from view, as only two or three poke out from beyond the point. But as our loaded down skiff cleared the town dock, the full expanse of the granite island chain came into view.



I wasn't the only guest aboard for the day;  Helen Bennett and Peter Hvizdak of the New Haven Register were on hand as well. This was the first time I had met Peter, and prior to this, I had only "known" Helen and Bren through our communications on Twitter. I always have some apprehension meeting online acquaintances because they often are not the same person you thought they would be. Within minutes however, it was clear this would not be the case today. Both Bren and Helen are every bit as nice in the real world as they are in the virtual world. These characteristics are important aboard a small boat.



The four of us motored through the maze of moorings until the red hull of a 22-foot workboat appeared over my right shoulder. Gliding alongside her, I grabbed a bow-line and fastened it to a cleat at mid-ship. It was about this time that Bren said something very bizarre.

"I don't know how to swim!" He said.

He had to be joking, I thought............right?



(More to follow)

Soundbounder: Just Your Local Oysterman part two

Soundbounder: Hauling The Cage part three

Soundbounder: Starfish...And Other Threats part four



Thimble Island Oysters: website

Helen Bennett on Twitter: @NewsGirlCT

Peter Hvizdak on Twitter: @NHRphizdak

Brendan Smith on Twitter: @organicOysters

Thimble Island Oysters

This morning, I had the opportunity to spend a few hours aboard with Brendan Smith of the Thimble Island Oyster Company. The next several posts will discuss Brendan's work, along with the challenges he faces as a small, independent, local oysterman on Long Island Sound.



Thimble Island Oyster Company

Map

Quinnipiac River Park

North of Interstate-95, above the Ferry Street Bridge, the decaying industry along New Haven's Quinnipiac River gives way to this historic stretch of waterfront. With a high concentration of 19th-century homes, the neighborhoods of Fair Haven, and Fair Haven Heights are a modern day reminder of New Haven's maritime past.  

This was once a prominent oyster port, with wharves and sheds lining both sides of the river. Related industries, such as shipbuilding and barrel making, thrived as well. By the 1840's, the neighborhood became a leading center for processing and trading, as oysters arrived from as far away as the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays. 

Today, things are a bit quieter here, but the oystering lives on, albeit on a lesser scale. Taking in the view from Quinnipiac River Park, I could see an oyster boat quietly at rest, with a tell-tale pile of shells rising behind her. A limited and diminished reminder of a once dominant past.

New Haven Preservation Trust: Quinnipiac Historic District 

CT Coastal Access Guide: Quinnipiac River Park

Quinnipiac Watershed Association

Mystic Seaport: New Haven Sharpie

Map

Oak Street Beach In West Haven

The West Haven shoreline has an impressive network of beaches and parks providing 3.5 miles of  public coastal access. Many of these spaces are linked by a 1.7 mile walkway, or "urban greenway", which extends from Sandy Point to Bradley Point. Once the site of the Savin Rock Amusement Park, the city displayed remarkable foresight by purchasing this land after the park closed in the 1960's.

One of the more popular destinations is Oak Street Beach, which includes a sandy beach, fishing pier, activity building, and bocce court. Connecting the walkway to the beach and pier is a large deck that has become the focus of a local, heated debate.

For two decades, the deck has been the site of evening dances, complete with disc-jockeys and large audiences. In 2009 however, a woman fell, broke her pelvis, and threatened West Haven with a lawsuit.



According to the New Haven Register:

"The city, armed with a letter from its insurance carrier,..... said the city-owned deck wasn�t made for dancing, needs repair and is unsafe".

The city wants "to move the dances to a concrete pad in the nearby Old Grove Park".

"The Parks and Recreation Commission also wants to require the volunteer DJs to pay $100 a year for permits and may require them to buy their own liability insurance."

I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, but when I stopped by in late November, winter was fast approaching and there were no dancers to be found. Instead I spent a snowy day in January trying to brush up on the issue by forcing myself to sit through the directors cut of Footloose and Dirty Dancing. Research can be painfully exhausting sometimes!

I don't know if the dances have continued, been shut down, or moved to another location. Hopefully a compromise can be reached.

There is, however, one happy outcome from this story. I found a YouTube video from a 2008 dance at Oak Street Beach. It was comforting to learn that there are actually people who exist with worse wardrobes and dance skills than yours truly.

New Haven Register: Threat To Close Popular Music Spot Hits Sour Note

CT Coastal Access Guide: Oak Street Beach

Map

Gulf Beach Pier

Gulf Beach Pier, Milford; with Charles Island in the distance.



CT Coastal Access Guide: Gulf Beach

Map

Lost In Woodmont

I wasn't exactly sure where I was. I knew I was several miles west of New Haven but anything more precise or specific was hazy at best. After following streets with straightforward names like Beach Rd and Ocean Boulevard, the path became more confusing with each road becoming more narrow and circular. Was I in Milford? West Haven? I didn't know.

I spend a good portion of my floating life worrying about getting lost in fog. All the electronic devices in the world can't prepare you for that moment when a buoy isn't where you thought it would be. It is a scary feeling.

Unless you are hiking in the wilderness, getting lost on land is child's play. You are not lost in the classic sense, you are just not where you thought you would be. A little bit of backtracking or asking for directions usually regains your bearings.

But on this November morning, I felt I had been blindfolded and spun around several times. At least three times I passed the same house with a tiki bar on the front porch. The one-way streets all seemed to circle back to where I presently was. I was lost in a maze and couldn't find my way out.

I later learned  I was in the Woodmont section of Milford. Originally a summer community, it is now a mixture of various sized homes and designs. A walkway with random park benches wraps the shoreline and provides access to several small beach areas squeezed between the rocky shoreline

The most unique feature of Woodmont however is the rock themselves: orange phyllite. They provide a sharp contrast to the expected granite along these shores.

According to the Geology Of Connecticut, the rock is "a slate or phyllite, highly fissile, sericitic, and usually dotted with minute garnets."

Raven

The lobsterboat Raven rests quietly in her railway cradle; Stony Creek, November 2010

Route 146

With the fall colors now quickly disappearing, I took a short detour yesterday and drove Route 146 from Branford to Guilford. I have traveled portions of this road before, but it was always with a destination in mind. Yesterday's drive was simply a diversion from the monotony of the interstate.

Leaving Route 1 and its forest of leftover campaign signs, Route 146 winds through an assortment of landscapes, from rocky vistas to wooded marshlands. At times, I would turn onto a side road when the name sounded interesting (Sachems Head Rd, Old Quarry Rd etc), but I never explored too deep before continuing on.

Route 146 is probably my favorite drive along the Connecticut shoreline. But it is not a great "let's film a car commercial here" sort of road. It's too disjointed, too narrow, with causeways that seem prone to flooding. It's not the open road, it's a back road,... traveled by slow pokes like me, listening to Herb Alpert and taking pictures out the car window.

Soundbounder: Shell Beach in Guilford

Soundbounder: Stony Creek

Soundbounder: Chaffinch Island Park

Herb Alpert: Route 101

Map

Heading For New Haven

Tugboat Connecticut; south of West Haven; August

Open House At Faulkner's Island

The Faulkner's Island Light Brigade in cooperation with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the US Coast Guard, will hold their annual open house on the weekend of September 11th & 12th. Located about 3 miles from the Guilford shoreline, Faulkner's is part of the Stewart McKinney National Wildlife Refuge. The open house provides visitors a once-a-year opportunity to visit the island along with the 1802 lighthouse.

Ferry service is provided from the Guilford Town Marina, but visitors can also arrive by private boat and anchor, or paddle the 3 mile passage by kayak. Space is limited aboard the ferry and reservations are required.

I attended this for the first time last year, and I highly recommend it. The open house is well organized, and the staff does an excellent job of providing an informative and entertaining visit. This is Connecticut's second oldest lighthouse, and the remote location provides a perspective of Long Island Sound that you otherwise won't get to see.

Faulkner's Island Light Brigade

Soundbounder: Faulkner's Island

New York Times: The "U" In Falkner

Farm River State Park

I am reluctant to call these 62 acres in East Haven a state park. While it is certainly a park owned by the state, this is not another Sherwood Island or Hammonassett . There is no sprawling beach here, or ballfields, concession stands, or pavillions. Instead you will find a marshy piece of land that leads to a small marina and kayak launch.

I entered the park from Mansfield Grove Lane and followed a dirt and gravel road which winds  its way between a large meadow and pond. A few condiminiums overwhelm the horizon at first, but they give way to a more natural landscape as you continue east. In the 1980's, this area was under heavy development pressure as old cabins and cottages were replaced by gated communties and new housing. The state was fortunate to purchase this land when it did.

Upon reaching the marina (operated by Quinnipiac University), I walked south a few hundred feet to a small beach area with some picnic tables nearby. Across the river I could see Kelsey Island, with its pink granite shoreline very much like the Thimble Islands several miles east. Geologically, this is a unique stretch of  Long Island Sound. 

With large tracts of available land nearly nonexistant, and waterfront prices, excessively expensive, Farm River  may be the type of park we see more often in the future. There is not something for everyone here, and that is its best appeal.

CT Coastal Access Guide: Farm River

DEP: Trail Map

Map

Thomas Oyster House

On the grounds of Mystic Seaport, sits the former building of the Thomas Oyster Company. Constructed circa 1874, this house stood in the City Point (aka Oyster Pt) section of New Haven. According to the museum, New Haven was once the largest oyster distribution center in New England.

I haven't visited City Point in years, and a post about this unique neighborhood is long overdue. In the meantime, the links below provide some photos and history of the former oyster capital.

Mystic Seaport: Thomas Oyster House

City Point: Historic Photos

New Haven Preservation Trust: City Point 

A Brief History Of City Point  

Shell Beach In Guilford

The stretch of Route 146 from Branford to Guilford is arguably the most rural section of the Connecticut shoreline. Farmhouses and barns still dot the landscape, and there are large portions of waterfront land that remain undeveloped. Along with the North Fork of Long Island, there is a sense of space here that can be hard to find in other regions of the Sound.

Despite the open landscape, coastal access here is very limited. Most roads leading to the shoreline are private, and there are many signs posted to remind you of this. There are exceptions however, and Shell Beach in Guilford is one of them. On the road leading to the beach community of the same name, is a small public space that borders the tidal flats along Island Bay.

It is really not much of a "beach". A more appropriate name would have been Sprained Ankle Beach. There are rocks, and lots of them.  But if you are like me, it is these passive, out-of-the-way places that are often the most appealing. It is a place to enjoy a quiet and unique view that is all too rare these days. 

CT Coastal Access Guide: Shell Beach

West Wharf In Madison

The shoreline towns between New Haven and Old Lyme provide some of the most restrictive coastal access on Long Island Sound. There are a few exceptions, but most of the beaches and parks (and the roads that lead to them) are private communities. Apparently, it is illegal to walk down a public street, even in October. The corrupt and scandal-plagued Madison Police Department may turn a blind eye to prostitution and drug rings, but they still view an outsider taking pictures on the beach as a serious offense. To make a long story short, two squad cars arrived, and I got the hell out of town.

West Wharf in Madison is a small, resident only park that consists of a fishing pier, and some large rock outcroppings that provide excellent views of Falkner Island. When I visited this week, the demolition of the nearby Madison Beach Hotel attracted a small crowd to watch the destruction. With only residents of Madison in the crowd, the park was secure, and nothing could ever go wrong.

CT Coastal Access Guide: West Wharf

NY Times: Sprawling Exercise In Police Corruption

WSFB: Madison Prostitution Scandal

WTNH: Madison PD Needs Improvement

Map

Faulkner's Island Light Brigade

The Faulkner's Island Light Brigade held an open house the first two weekends of September. The island and lighthouse, part of the Stewart McKinney Wildlife Refuge are off-limits the remainder of the year. The US Fish and Wildlife Service transported visitors aboard a small landing craft from Guilford to the island, while providing some background information on the refuge. Other visitors arrived by kayak and an assortment of small boats. I was impressed by the whole operation that took place.

The Brigade, through donations and volunteer efforts, works to preserve both the lighthouse and it's history. They also have worked to prevent further erosion on the island's east embankment. It is nice to see people involved in a local cause that they believe in.

Faulkner's Light Brigade

YouTube: Open House 2008

New York Times: The U in Falkner

Wikipedia: Falkner Island

Map

AudubonCT: Falkner Island

Note: While charts refer to the island as Falkner Island, it is known locally as Faulkner's Island.