New York Governor Kathy Hochul has asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to confirm that a disaster has hit the state’s oyster industry, enabling oystermen to access emergency loans and financial support.
Like their counterparts working in Chesapeake Bay, New York oystermen have been beset by extreme cold weather and icy conditions that have kept them from working for much of the season.
“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 release. “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.”
The government estimates damages from the weather at USD 2.4 million (EUR 2 million), along with a 30 percent loss in production at aquaculture operations.
Hochul has asked USDA to issue a disaster declaration, which would enable affected oystermen to apply for USDA low-interest emergency loans from the Farm Service Agency.
“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. I am thankful to the Governor for this request and appreciate the USDA’s consideration to move ahead with a disaster declaration to provide some financial relief to area farmers,” New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said in a statement.
Officials said they are also gathering data to support a request for a fishery disaster declaration from NOAA Fisheries, which would authorize direct financial aid for the affected oystermen and associated businesses.
“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. We thank Governor Hochul for her advocacy and echo her call for a USDA Secretarial Disaster Declaration for the shellfish aquaculture industry to assist impacted business owners who play such an important role in the regional economy,” New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton said in a statement. “DEC remains committed to working with our partners and the industry to gather the fishery revenue information needed to qualify for a future NOAA Fishery Disaster Declaration request.”
South of New York, state officials in Maryland have already requested a NOAA Fisheries disaster determination to support the state’s struggling oyster industry. Like in New York, freezing temperatures and ice have disrupted commercial oyster operations. While Maryland officials did extend the season to allow oystermen time to harvest once the ice cleared, the state is still seeking federal support to alleviate the financial strain caused by the weather.
“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,” U.S. Representative Andy Harris (R-Maryland) said in February. “These pressures threaten both livelihoods and a major sector of the Eastern Shore economy. For that reason, I am urging NOAA to approve a federal disaster declaration because immediate disaster relief is necessary to help watermen recover from the financial losses caused by this season.”
Chesapeake Bay oystermen have also been hurt by a broken sewage pipe dumping untreated wastewater into the Potomac River. While Maryland officials have stated that Chesapeake Bay oysters are still safe despite the spill, oystermen say that the incident has lowered demand for their oysters.
“As compared with a five-year average of commercial landings, data from January 2026 shows a concerning 44 percent decline in oyster harvest with continued depressed levels of harvest expected this year, while the dockside value of a bushel of oysters has dropped by 66 percent,” state lawmakers said in a joint letter requesting federal aid.
