Oysters could be in short supply this year after a harsh winter decimated farming efforts along Long Island.
Icy conditions caused severe damage to farmers’ boats and equipment in recent months, and the industry is now facing an estimated total loss of $2.4 million, according to New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s office.
Chris Quartuccio, an oyster distributor and founder of Blue Island Oyster Company, told NBC New York this was the “most intense winter we’ve ever had.” Now, he predicts customers will feel the impacts.
“We didn’t have any breaks in the cold weather, the ice was so thick. No other winter in the past 20 years could compare to this,” Quartuccio said.
“There will be New York oysters on the menu, but maybe not the variety they are looking for,” he added.
Peter Stein, owner of Peeko Oysters farm, lost a “major chunk” of his inventory, according to The Suffolk Times.
“Every line we had out in the bay was either dislodged or damaged,” he told the newspaper.
“I know that a large percentage of the farm has been wiped out, but I’m not ready to lay anybody off. I have many people who make their living through the business that I own. I don’t take that lightly,” he added.
Governor Kathy Hochul requested a “Secretarial Disaster Designation” for Suffolk County through the Department of Agriculture this week. This designation would allow affected farmers to apply for “low-interest emergency loans” through the USDA, her office said Monday.
“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 in a statement.
“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,” she added.
The USDA is “working to expedite resources to our Farm Service Agency county offices to assist farmers impacted by the February 2026 ice storm,” an agency spokesperson told The Independent.
The harsh winter impacted oyster production in other East Coast states too, including Maryland, where Representative Andy Harris asked the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to declare an “economic fishery disaster” so the state’s oystermen could receive assistance.
“Severe weather this year, combined with shrinking market access and increased competition, left many crews effectively tied to the dock, with watermen able to fish for just one or two days all season,” he said in a statement.
