Staten Island’s Oyster Revival Shucks Up Great Kills

Staten Island’s oysters are back, with Great Kills Harbor dishing up a briny comeback this March. Last night, diver Lena Carter hauled a dozen from the bay—fat, salty, and NYC-bred. A billion-oyster project’s paying off, cleaning water and plates alike. Local joints like Dockside Grill shucked ‘em raw, selling out by 9 p.m. ‘This is Staten’s gold—taste the harbor,’ Carter says, prying one open. The shellfish glow-up’s a borough win.

The revival’s years in—seed oysters planted in ’20 now plump enough to eat. Carter’s crew checks reefs weekly; last night’s haul hit 50 pounds. A kid slurped his first, grinning through the slime—locals cheer the grit. The state’s testing for toxins, but these passed—cleaner than the ’90s. A pop-up oyster bar’s slated for next week, if the catch holds. Staten’s never been so tasty.

Some gag—’Harbor oysters? Gross,’ sniped a Manhattanite, sipping wine. Old-timers recall when pollution killed the beds; trust’s slow to rebuild. A storm could muddy the gains, but Carter’s unfazed. The buzz is real—#StatenOysters is trending. Dockside’s rival, Bay Bivalve, is upping its game, shucking faster.

Carter dreams of an oyster fest by fall, maybe a ferry tie-in. ‘NYC’s water’s ours again—this proves it,’ she says, rinsing her knife. The revival’s a salty flex—Staten Island’s reclaiming its past. Great Kills is shellfish central now. Slurp one; it’s the harbor’s revenge.