Pictured above, from Left to Right: Governor Cuomo, Prof. Gobler, Assemblyman Fred Thiele, County Executive Steve Bellone and  Assemblyman Steve Englebright.

From the Stony Brook University Capitols and Communities Newsletter, June 28, 2017.

Governor Andrew Cuomo has taken a keen interest in supporting efforts to improve water quality in New York State.  He recently came to the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) at the Stony Brook Southampton campus to talk about this issue.

Following a discussion with Professor Chris Gobler about Professor Gobler’s research on Brown Tides, Governor Cuomo took a boat tour of the area where SoMAS is deploying clams to help filter the water and restore water quality and ecology. The site visit included SoMAS students, state and local elected officials and media.

At the conclusion of the visit, Governor Cuomo announced a  $2 million grant for the shellfish restoration project, which utilizes shellfish to fight brown tide. An estimated 30-50 million clams are needed to fight brown tide in the bay.