South Fork Sea Farmers

Five months on the water. Under 20 minutes on screen. "Bounty Uncharted: Empire of the Atlantic" is an Official Selection of the 2026 @Hamptons International Film Festival. We spent five months filming, early mornings, days offshore, a lot of footage that will never see a screen. The hardest part wasn't getting the shots. It was deciding what the story actually was, and cutting everything that wasn't it. What's left is under 20 minutes. Every one of them earned its place. We're screening at United Artists next Wednesday 10/7 and Friday 10/9. If you're on the East End, come see it on the big screen. Huge thanks to the team who made this happen: Michael A. Cuomo (cinematography), Thomas Blake Ramsey (editing) #HIFF #HamptonsFilmFestival #BountyUncharted #Documentary #Filmmaking HamptonsFilm

South Fork Sea Farmers (SFSF) on Earth Day released results from four years of reef monitoring in Accabonac Harbor and Three Mile Harbor. The data show that the organization’s four installed reefs are not only surviving their first East End winters but growing rapidly and, in the case of the oldest reef, beginning to reproduce on their own, the strongest evidence yet that community-built reefs can take hold as a self-sustaining tool against the nitrogen-driven algal blooms that have increasingly closed local waters. The release comes against the backdrop of what scientists have called some of the worst harmful algal bloom outbreaks ever recorded on Long Island, with more than two dozen lakes affected in 2025 and annual Alexandrium blooms forcing the seasonal closure of western Shinnecock Bay to shellfish harvesting. Scientists studying Long Island’s estuaries have repeatedly tied those blooms to nitrogen loading from aging septic systems, the same nitrogen that oysters pull out of the water column as they feed. What the 2022–2025 monitoring data show South Fork Sea Farmers has built and monitored four reefs since 2022. Each reef is tracked for survival (mortality), shell growth (spat size), rugosity (structural complexity), water quality, and natural set, the appearance of wild oyster larvae settling on the reef without hatchery seeding. The 2022–2025 results: Reef #1 (Accabonac Harbor, installed September 2022): 98.2% oyster survival at first count and 96.9% at second count, with shell growth from 3.3–3.7 cm to 3.5–4.1 cm across depth zones in the first eight weeks. In June 2024, monitors documented natural set, juvenile oysters (3.0–5.0 cm) that settled on the reef without hatchery seeding, meaning the reef has begun reproducing itself. Reef #2 (Accabonac Harbor, installed December 2023): mean spat size grew from roughly 17 mm at installation to 80.2 mm in the deep bag and 72.8 mm in the shallow bag by October 2024, a nearly five-fold increase in 44 weeks. Survival rebounded from 60.5% at the December 2024 winter count to 86.7% by October 2025, with shallow-bag spat continuing to grow to 73.7 mm. Reef #3 (Accabonac Harbor, installed July 2024): 82.1% survival at October 2024 count, with spat growing from 4.1 cm in October 2024 to 5.9 cm by October 2025, a 44% size increase year over year. Reef #4 (Three Mile Harbor Marina, installed July 2025): 85.5% survival at October 2025 count, the first reef sited at Three Mile Harbor and an early indication that the SFSF reef model transfers to a second East Hampton estuary. Across the program, every monitored reef has recorded survival rates above 80% at its most recent count, and the oldest reef has crossed the threshold that scientists consider the defining feature of a living reef, wild larvae settling on their own onto the shell. Robert Tymann Ed.D. "Barley" John Dunne Jeff Ragovin Alina Lundry Grace Grimes

Thank You South Forker Magazine for catching everyone up on our progress: https://lnkd.in/ebjfbAxh What began as a small shell recycling effort has grown into a regional restoration program returning discarded oyster and clam shells to local waters, creating living reefs that improve water quality, support marine life, and strengthen shorelines. In partnership with the East Hampton Shellfish Hatchery, South Fork Sea Farmers has installed four shellfish reefs, returning more than 154,000 pounds of shell to local waters. Reef monitoring shows an 81% survival rate after one year, with future projects incorporating 3D-printed structures to increase stability and habitat complexity. In just the past five months, the organization collected 211 buckets of shell, powered by 21 local restaurants, an independent shucker, and a growing volunteer network handling most pickups. Additional support comes from shellfish growers and new partnerships with the Billion Oyster Project and Mickey’s Carting to expand recycling capacity. Beyond restoration, South Fork Sea Farmers has invested $80,000 in scholarships and summer programs for local students and continues work on eelgrass restoration and kelp cultivation, engaging more than 130 local families in improving water quality. “This work is about much more than recycling shell,” says President Jeff Ragovin. “It’s about restoring ecosystems, investing in our community, and showing what’s possible when people work together.”

Thank you for the shout out Bounty Uncharted

We are beyond excited (and honestly a little speechless) to share that we won at the Remember the Future World Film Festival in Cannes. Taking home Best Food Film is a huge honor, and having our story recognized on a stage like this feels surreal. This project came from passion, long days, salty air, big laughs, and a deep love for food, people, and the stories that connect us. Special Thanks to our team. Andrea Mitchell Michael Cuomo Thomas Blake Ramsey Anastasia Ganias-Gellin https://lnkd.in/eH5ebvha

Well done!!!!!!