New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has formally requested federal disaster relief for oyster farmers hammered by a severe winter freeze in February that caused an estimated $2.4 million in damage across the region's shellfish aquaculture industry.
The governor is seeking a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretarial Disaster Designation for Suffolk County, which would make farm operators there and contiguous counties eligible to apply for low-interest emergency loans up to $500,000 through the USDA Farm Service Agency.
If the USDA approves Hochul’s request, eligible farmers would have eight months from the date of a declaration to apply for relief programs.
Heavy snowfall and prolonged freezing temperatures locked down Long Island's bays and waterways for multiple weeks, blocking oyster farmers from reaching their growing areas and causing significant damage to gear, vessels, and farm infrastructure.
The impacts fell largely on small, family-owned operations that supply regional seafood markets. A survey conducted by industry partners and local officials put total repair and replacement costs at $2,396,500, with many growers reporting production losses exceeding 30 percent, according to Gov. Hochul's office.
"With freezing temperatures that lasted for several weeks, the Long Island coast saw ice conditions like they haven't experienced in years, leading to a halt in operations and damage to equipment that will cost the aquaculture industry millions of dollars," Hochul said. "I urge the USDA to take swift action to declare Suffolk County a disaster area and help our growers get the assistance they need to recover and move forward."
New York Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said the conditions left growers unable to work their farms and facing steep bills for damaged equipment. "Our shellfish growers depend on being able to move through the waters to harvest their crops, and in February, with ice as thick as it was, they were not only not able to harvest their crops, but they also saw critical equipment severely damaged, costing them millions of dollars," Ball said.
The state's Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is also weighing a parallel federal pathway. Commissioner Amanda Lefton said DEC is working to gather fishery revenue data that could support a future NOAA Fishery Disaster Declaration request. "Recent prolonged winter conditions have devastated shellfish aquaculture populations across Long Island's coastal waters and impacted growers who rely on these resources for their livelihoods," Lefton said.
