program

previously said he believes it could be because of several factors.

“You’ve probably heard of algal blooms and stuf like that,” Brousseau told Blank Slate Media last year. “So some of those blooms can really harm the oysters. It’s over many years that the population has gone way down to what it historically was.”

As the oysters grow, it could take years to generate conclusive results. For now, the oysters’ survival rate will be monitored throughout the year ahead of the installation of the second batch, which Dalimonte said could be this August.

Getting the initial batch of oysters into the bay was a major focus of Dalimonte, a fourthgeneration Port Washington resident that was elected to ofce in 2020.

“Manhasset Bay is a constituent and it needs a voice,” said Dalimonte, who’s also the town board’s liaison for the waterfront advisory committee, which advises the board on issues relating to Manhasset Bay and Hempstead Harbor. “I wanted to make it better than it was when I got elected.”

Dalimonte added that continued oyster programs have been a dream come true.

“I can cry talking about it because it’s something I worked hard on and kept getting pushback,” Dalimonte said. “No one gave me a good enough reason on why we can’t have oysters in Manhasset Bay. It took a very long time, but it was worth it.”