Diving and reef ball program

Building on the success of a pilot effort, the Foundation is supporting a project to restore an oyster reef in New Haven Harbor. Working with Sound School administration, Yale research scientist James Nikkel and Yale Professor Peter Raymond, the Foundation helped to secure a grant from Yale’s Planetary Futures Fund to fund the project. The reef will be built by students and faculty at the Sound School using Mini-Bay Reef Ball Modules (RBMs) and Eastern Oyster broodstock sanctuary cages. RBMs will be constructed out of cement using oyster shell as an additive. The RBMs will then be deployed 100m offshore in sub-tidal waters along the school campus in New Haven Harbor by divers using lift bags to lower each RBM into place with minimal disturbance. When completed the reef will be composed of approximately 100 RBMs each placed 0.1m apart and arranged in a 20x5 grid running parallel to shore. This project involves a diverse range of community stakeholders including commercial oyster fisheries, local nonprofits, public schools, and universities in consultation with government agencies. This will be a student-led project, with Sound School students responsible for every aspect of the work under the supervision of Sound School faculty and staff. Successful development of the reef will support restoration of historic oyster reef habitats, improvements to local water quality, replenishment of oyster populations in New Haven Harbor, creation of habitat structure to increase fish and invertebrate biodiversity and density, and enhancement of coastal resiliency.

Living laboratory

The finished reef will also function as a platform for students to train and engage in scientific diving. This “living laboratory” creates extensive opportunities for students and faculty from the Sound School and our local university partners to develop high rigor research studies on the reef and its associated impacts. Students have the opportunity to study oyster growth, recruitment and density, water quality and nitrogen sequestration and biodiversity assessments.

Oysters in New Haven

New Haven was once a known for its thriving oyster industry, a key factor in the development of the city’s economy and culture. During the 1880s over 15million oysters were harvested directly from the harbor and Fair Haven riverbanks. At this point New Haven was responsible for 12.5% of the country’s total oyster and oyster seed output. Overfishing, urbanization, industrial discharges, and sewage waste soon devastated the oyster industry. The poor water quality led to the almost complete collapse of the New Haven oyster fishery. Since the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972, improvements in water quality have led to a resurgence of the industry, but it has never recovered to its historic levels of production or importance (Pompano, 2003). Today CT’s commercial shellfish industry generates more than $30 million in farm-gate sales annually and provides over 300 jobs statewide.  

Tenacious

The Sound School was founded in 1981 as a New Haven public magnet high school with the express purpose of using New Haven Harbor and the New Haven Sharpie as central curricular themes to engage students and connect them with the rich legacy of New Haven’s maritime history.  In the early years, the boat shop was the place where all of the curricular strands were to cross.  The first project was to build a small fleet of 16 foot “WB” Sharpies.  In the late 19th century this model had become the recreational craft of choice among New Haveners of modest means. The next project was building a 35-foot full sized replica of an oyster tonging Sharpie which soon became Sound School’s flagship and symbol, named Tenacious.

Oystering has long been, and still is, a central element of New Haven’s relationship with Long Island Sound and the oyster beds have played an important role in maintaining its environmental health.  The New Haven Sharpie, developed in the mid-19 Century as an oyster tonging boat, is an essential part of that history.  Indeed, the hull profile with its unique cat-ketch rig has become one of the iconic symbols of New Haven – especially its waterfront neighborhoods. Since the 1980s, The Sound School has occupied a portion of the waterfront of City Point (formerly known as Oyster Point) and its students and staff have built New Haven Sharpies and sailed them all over New Haven Harbor.  It is this 150 year tradition that is under real threat.

Rebuilding Tenacious

However, over the past several years, due to budget limitations, storm damage to the school's waterfront, and the retirement of its builder, Tenacious fell into disrepair and has not been used. At the end of the 21/22 academic year, the decision was made to bring her back to her former glory and she was moved into the school's main boat shop. Neil Geist, who helped to build her as a student at Sound and is now the school's most experienced boat builder, is leading the effort. A significant portion of the funds necessary for her restoration has been covered by the school's annual operating budget, but funds are still needed to complete the project and support her continued operation. The Foundation is committed to securing the funding to complete the project and cover operational expenses going forward. As a part of this effort, the Foundation was recently awarded a grant from The Traditional Small Craft Association John Gardner Fund. This grant has gone toward paying the cost of new sails for Tenacious built by Fairclough Sailmakers, located in New Haven, right near the school. Soon the vessel will again be used to teach sailing and the history of the New Haven’s oyster fishery. Eventually Sound School students will be able to serve as interpreters and crew members for members of the community who wish to view and board the vessel. It will be a living replica connecting the community to a vital element in the community’s maritime, social and economic history. Please consider making a donation to vital effort to maintain New Haven’s maritime heritage by clicking on the “Donate” tab at the top of the page.