Town of Islip Shellfish Cultivation Facility

The intent of the Program is to have individuals with experience in shellfish cultivation that are committed to promote the overall health of the Great South Bay’s ecosystem thru sustainable farming. Additionally, the Program has proven successful as a boost to the local economy, and to those farmers who license bay bottom parcels for aquaculture. Once grown, the harvest is disbursed, marketed and sold to local restaurants and retail/wholesale establishments.

The Town currently has a waiting list for future available parcels. To place your name on the waiting list, contact the Department of Environmental Control (DEC), by clicking HERE, or by calling the DEC at (631) 595-3630.

Educational opportunities are available in the form of open house tours and school field trips, as well as educational displays at community functions.

Please contact the hatchery at (631) 595-3680 for more information.

The Great South Bay was once a thriving environment for shellfish, producing more than half of the nation’s shellfish.

In the 1980’s the Great South Bay began to see a steady and significant decline in shellfish production due in part to over harvesting and algae blooms such as brown tide.

In 1985 the Town of Islip established a Division of Bay Management and Shellfish Management that included the development of a shellfish culture facility to help augment the spawning of oysters and clams.

In 2009, the Town established the Bay Bottom Aquaculture Licensing Program, which encompasses over 1,500 acres of Town-owned bay bottom. The intent of the program is to have individuals with experience in shellfish cultivation that are committed to promote the overall health of the Great South Bay’s ecosystem thru sustainable farming

The Town of Islip’s Shellfish Cultivation Facility and the Bay Bottom Program focuses on restoring the value of the Great South Bay’s historical success.

The Town of Islip sells oyster and clam seed from our own shellfish cultivation facility. Forty years of experience go into the careful growth of the larvae into various sizes to meet the individual needs of shellfish farmers. To place an order for oyster and clam seed, please contact the Hatchery Manager, Chris Leanza by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.,. Please have the year and "Seed Order" in the subject line of the email, and include your company name, contact information, the species, size and quantity you would like to purchase in the body of your email. Order acceptance does not guarantee order fulfillment. To ensure the highest probability of your order being filled, please place orders between January and February. Please read below disclaimers*

2026 Seed Sale Pricing information

Long Island Oyster Growers Association

Cornell Cooperative

Stony Brook University

NYS DEC

Army Corps of Engineers

Save the Great South Bay

To further the successes of Phase I & II of the Bay Bottom Aquaculture Licensing Program, the Town has expanded the program to include an additional 1,300 acres of bay bottom south of Heckscher State Park. The new area referred to as Phase III has opened land historically farmed for shellfish, and will have a positive impact on the south shore estuary. The new cultivation site will consist of 134 parcels, all 10 acres in size and 60 foot boundaries between them. Applicants will be selected from the Town’s Bay Bottom Waiting List. The Town of Islip Department of Environmental Control (DEC) staff will require interface to discuss their business plan and the ability to operate a shellfish farm within the requirements of the Town, State and Federal Government’s regulations.

The environmental benefits of the expansion of Phase III are multi-faceted. The most apparent benefit to the sizable Phase III expansion will be a significant volume of bay water filtered as a result of the addition of millions of shellfish to the cultivation site. Biofiltration by shellfish is an acknowledged method of algae population control, which improves water quality. Having cages and trays on the bay bottom also provides protection and a habitat for small fish, crabs and other marine life, which increases the biodiversity of the bay.

Another environmental benefit of having millions of clams and oysters growing in the same location is they will spawn and provide larvae to set up in the bay. The Town has received feedback from Growers in Phase I and Phase II that they are finding natural set oysters and scallops in the areas around the cultivation site. Shellfish from this program are naturally spawning, reproducing and are showing up on our shorelines. This will have a direct positive effect on our natural resource by enhancing the wild fishery. The filtering capacity from culturing these shellfish in Islip waters is enormous. The millions of shellfish grown at the Facility and placed at the Phase I and II cultivation site are naturally and efficiently filtering 330-550 million gallons a day of the Great South Bay’s water. The filtering reduces the turbidity, improves light penetration, reduces anoxia and improves the overall water quality.

If you are interested in placing your name on the waiting list or submitting comment on the expansion proposal please call the DEC at (631) 595-3630.