Commercial fishing could be preserved like farmland in Suffolk County

Long Island Morning Edition

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Enthusiastic Southold composters on Friday were among the first to take part in a new pilot program intended to divert food waste from landfills. The idea is to transform the scraps into nutrient-dense compost that can be used by community members. Composting food scraps can reduce methane emissions that are a byproduct of traditional waste streams and improve soil health, town and environmental officials said. Tara Smith reports in NEWSDAY that Riverhead is the only other Long Island town with a municipal food scrap drop-off program, which launched in 2022. The lack of food composting programs on Long Island is a source of consternation among many conservation-minded residents, Newsday has reported. In landfills, food scraps decay without oxygen and instead produce methane, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which lists food scrap recycling as a way to confront climate change. A ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday formally kicked off the program spearheaded by the Town of Southold, the nonprofit North Fork Environmental Council and Long Island Organics Council. The project is operating with a $15,000 grant from the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute.

“We’re trying to pull food waste out of the municipal solid waste,” Nick Krupski, the town's solid waste coordinator, said Friday. Up to 30% of household waste in Southold is food, which gets trucked to an incinerator in Babylon.

That estimate equals about six tons of food waste per day in the town of 23,732 residents. Food waste accounted for 58% of methane emissions from solid waste landfills nationwide in 2020, roughly the same emissions as 15 coal power plants, according to the EPA.

For now, Southold’s pilot program is limited to 100 households. Residents can drop off food scraps to the town dump, where they're mixed with other organic material such as leaves and manure and converted into compost. The town makes compost available to residents at no charge, at up to 500 pounds per year. Eligible residents must enroll in the program before dropping off their food waste.

Southold accepts items including fruits and vegetables, grains, eggshells, coffee grounds and loose tea, snacks, seeds and cut flowers. Meat, dairy products, oils, pet and yard waste are not permitted.

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A decades-old Suffolk County program designed to preserve county farmland may soon be expanded to include another heritage industry: commercial fishing. Joe Werkmeister reports in NEWSDAY that the Suffolk County Legislature is exploring a measure to allow property owners of commercial fishing businesses to apply for a conservation easement that would restrict future development. Officials say the goal is to protect what remains of the "working waterfront" — largely centered on the East End — as the shrinking industry faces pressure from developers.

Officials and industry experts say losing access to the waterfront creates a ripple effect of economic losses and makes it harder for Long Islanders to enjoy fresh, local fish.

"Fishing and farming, and to an extent old-time tourism, are three heritage industries that belong to Long Island," said Bonnie Brady, executive director of the Montauk-based Long Island Commercial Fishing Association. "The ability to continue is getting harder and harder."

The proposal would expand the existing program that has preserved about 20,000 acres of farmland to include the working waterfront. Under the program, a property owner receives monetary compensation in exchange for restricting future development.

Any type of business that contributes to working waterfronts, from gear storage, aquaculture, docks, boat repairs, can potentially benefit, officials said.

The legislature was expected to vote on the bill at its upcoming meeting, but it will now be tweaked to broaden the scope, according to a spokesman for Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine, who is credited as the bill's co-sponsor.

Legis. Ann Welker (D-Southampton), whose district includes New York’s two largest fishing ports in Montauk and Hampton Bays-Shinnecock, called the measure “critically important.” She pointed to some changes happening in Southampton Town, where two oyster farmers with aquaculture leases were evicted, a situation she called "very unfortunate."

The proposed measure is part of a larger push by county officials to keep its agricultural industry thriving. Earlier this year, Romaine signed a bill to increase the budget used for farmland preservation to $15 million per year.