Basic Profile

Origin
Great South Bay, behind Fire Island, south shore of Long Island, New York, USA
Species
Crassostrea virginica (Eastern Oyster)
Classification
Farmed on bay bottom leased from the Town of Islip
Farming Method
Hatchery seed grown out on leased plots
Producer
Growers in the Town of Islip leasing program
Visual Signature
Eastern oyster shell

The Town of Islip raised 13 million oysters and 10 million clams in 2022, in a hatchery converted from a bathhouse in 1976. They go into Great South Bay, the water that named the Blue Point and then lost most of its shellfish between 1940 and 1980.1

Sunset over Great South Bay, seen from Fire Island, New York
Sunset over Great South Bay, seen from Fire Island, New York. Photo: Jsayre64 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Why It Collapsed

Hurricanes, pollution and overharvesting did the damage, and the Hurricane of 1938 is remembered locally as ruinous. One stretch of bay near Heckscher State Park has not been ecologically active since the late 1800s.1 For the wider story, see New York's oyster history.

Leased Plots

Islip began leasing bay bottom to growers in 2009 with 95 acres, since expanded to 125, and keeps a long waiting list.1 The town privatized the hatchery, a move officials said saved $650,000 from its budget, and in 2014 hatchery owner Doug Winter expected growers to take several hundred thousand oysters that year.2

Flavor Breakdown

The water
A long, shallow bay sheltered by a barrier island, so it runs warmer and less salty than the Atlantic beyond Fire Island. Sweetness leads and the salt stays in the background.
Against a Blue Point
Blue Point is now a name used well beyond this bay. An oyster sold as Great South Bay tells you where it grew, which the older name no longer does.

What Makes Great South Bay Unique

This is the original Blue Point water, restocked by a municipal hatchery. A Cornell Cooperative Extension and Stony Brook University study found Islip's hatchery stock more resilient to disease than that of other hatcheries in the region.1

Order it when the menu names the bay and the grower. You get the sweet, soft oyster that made Blue Point famous, with a real address.

Should You Add Lemon?

Yes

A sweet, low-salt oyster takes a squeeze well.

Pairing Guide

1
Long Island Chardonnay, unoaked

Local, and round enough for a sweet oyster.

2
Lager

Cold and plain, which is all a bay oyster this soft needs.

OptimalLemon
AcceptableMignonette
AvoidHeavy cocktail sauce

Who Is This For?

Will love it
  • Anyone curious what a Blue Point was before the name traveled
  • People who find North Fork oysters too salty
Sources
  1. Monahan, B. R. (19 January 2023). "Town of Islip Produces 'The Blue Point Oyster' Amid Other Conservation Efforts." The Messenger Papers. messengerpapers.com
  2. CBS New York (24 September 2014). "Town Of Islip Lauds Success Of Great South Bay-Bottom Leasing Program For Oyster Industry." cbsnews.com
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