New York, NY —

A new study is looking at whether Jamaica Bay's oyster population can be brought back to life. Long a staple of the New York waterways, oysters were demolished by pollution and over-harvesting during the last hundred years. A few groups have been trying to bring them back, because oysters improve the eco-system by filtering water as they eat. Michael Doall, a marine biologist at SUNY Stony Brook, says Jamaica Bay seems especially promising based on initial studies.

DOALL: Growth has been very high in Jamaica Bay. They reproduce and survivorship has been very high. So we're still waiting to see the impact, but disease might have but the early results are very encouraging.

The $155,000 study will last for three years, and is funded by state and federal agencies.