Summer cruises reflects on history of Norwalk's nickname ‘Oyster Town'
The city of Norwalk has long held the nickname “Oyster Town,” and this summer, the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk is offering weekly cruises to explore that rich history.
“At one point, Connecticut was one of the top shell fishing producers in the world, and our oysters were shipped all over the world, all over the country, and that’s where Norwalk got that nickname,” said Nicki Rosenfeld, the Director of Vessel Operations and Programs at the aquarium.
Norwalk’s economy bloomed in the 1800s and 1900s, largely in part to the shellfish industry. However, many hardships were also felt during that time.
“We saw some bad hurricanes in the first half of the 19th century or 20th century so oyster populations were almost wiped out,” said Rosenfeld.
Thankfully, oysters are naturally very resilient. When these small creatures band together, the impacts can help protect the shoreline in ways you might not think possible.
“Basically, oysters like to grow on other oysters creating reefs in these 3-D structures underwater,” said Rosenfeld. “When you have those on our coastlines, those can help be a natural breakwater for waves that are created during powerful storms like hurricanes, which we’re seeing more.”
Those reefs are also helping the ecosystem in Long Island Sound flourish in the 21st century.
“They create habitat, so hundreds of species have been documented using oyster reefs for either nursery or feeding grounds,” said Rosenfeld.
These findings positively reflect the more recent improvements of the Sound’s health.
“The fact that we do have recovering reefs over the last couple of decades really shows how far water quality in Long Island Sound has come,” said Rosenfeld.
Weather permitting, the cruise is offered at 1:30 pm every Sunday through Labor Day.
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