Welcome   Sponsored By
Subscribe | Register | Advertise | Newsletter | About us | Contact us
   


Image: Mainebiz / FIS

Oysters: The Story of the Pemaquid Oyster Co.

Click on the flag for more information about United States UNITED STATES
Tuesday, May 30, 2023, 07:00 (GMT + 9)

The following is an excerpt from an article published by Mainebiz:

This world is your oyster: A robust oyster farming industry thrives — despite hard work and nature’s wily ways

In 1986, Pemaquid Oyster Co. in Bristol was one of only a few oyster farms in Maine.

Photos: Pemaquid Oyster Co.

“One of my friends said it was like belonging to a country club but, instead of going golfing on a Saturday, we’d mess around on the river,” says Smokey McKeen, who started the farm with fellow aquaculture enthusiasts Chris Davis and Carter Newell.

“At some point we had to treat it more like a business,” he continues. “It’s been fun to see the industry grow.”

From just a few operations 40 years ago to about 150 oyster farms today, the industry has grown indeed. Farms extend from York to Washington counties and raise millions of oysters per year for the white tablecloth market, according to the Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center.

Not for the faint of heart

Today, millions of oysters are produced yearly; most farms have a handful of employees, bigger ones employ a couple of dozen. Most oysters go outside Maine. Traditional markets include New York, Toronto, Chicago and Atlanta. Maine is well situated for distribution, being a 24-hour truck ride from 150 million consumers, notes Dana Morse, the aquaculture lead for Maine Sea Grant and University of Maine Cooperative Extension, based at the Darling Marine Center in Walpole.

People participate in the industry from the hobby scale to a full-time career. “But it is farming – it’s risky, it’s uncertain, it’s really hard work, it’s difficult on your body,” Morse says. “And nature definitely has a very big say as to what’s going to happen or not going to happen.”

He adds, “It’s not necessarily for the faint of heart.”

Attributes that make Maine great for the industry include varied coastal systems – with attributes such as optimal water temperature and enough food – that suit the animal’s biological requirements, says Morse.

Maine’s regulatory environment is conducive to allowing entrants at different scales.

“We have a system that is fairly robust,” he says. “It seems to be viewed as relatively fairly balanced between opportunities for business and the responsibility for conserving and using public spaces.”

Maine’s training programs, such as the University of Maine’s Aquaculture in Shared Waters program now in its 10th year, have helped grow the industry.

“The market has been very strong,” Morse says. “Pretty much every grower can sell what they can grow at a pretty reasonable price and, in some cases, very good prices.”

Early pioneer

An earlier wave of farms grew European oysters in the midcoast in the late 1970s. Factors such as disease and susceptibility to Maine’s cold winters prevented the species from taking off.

In the mid-1980s, McKeen and other farmers experimented with growing American oysters on the Damariscotta River. The river’s clean, salty and nutrient-rich water was ideal. And it was home to the University of Maine’s Darling Marine Center, which was instrumental in establishing shellfish aquaculture thanks to a research program, established by a resident researcher, Herb Hidu.

Photo: Mainebiz

Hidu encouraged would-be farmers to try American oysters, native to the region. There were no textbooks on how to do it. “We were building our own gear,” recalls McKeen. “We’d meet on the weekends and mess around on the river.”

McKeen and his partners settled on a technique to grow oyster seeds in cages floating on the surface, then broadcasting them on the bottom when they reached a certain size. After a year, they’d drag up a marketable crop. [Continues...]

Author: Laurie Schreiber | Mainebiz | Read the full article by clicking the link here

[email protected]
www.seafood.media


 Print


Click to know how to advertise in FIS
MORE NEWS
Viet Nam
Jul 4, 07:00 (GMT + 9):
US Tariff Pressure Casts Shadow Over Vietnam's Seafood Exports, Slowing Growth in June
South Korea
Jul 4, 06:00 (GMT + 9):
South Korea's Frozen Mackerel Imports Skyrocket in First Half of 2025
China
Jul 4, 00:10 (GMT + 9):
Global Squid Prices See Significant Rise in June Driven by Supply Shocks
Norway
Jul 4, 00:10 (GMT + 9):
Norwegian Salmon and Trout Conquer Global Markets Amidst Shifting Tides
Norway
Jul 4, 00:10 (GMT + 9):
Norwegian Seafood Exports Hit Record High in First Half of 2025
Faroe Islands
Jul 4, 00:10 (GMT + 9):
Bakkafrost Reports Strong Q2 Harvests, But Scottish Mortality Costs Soar
France
Jul 4, 00:10 (GMT + 9):
Sardines Sizzle as Mackerel Stabilizes in French Canned Fish Market
United States
Jul 3, 07:00 (GMT + 9):
New Report Unlocks Opportunities for Norwegian Snow and King Crab in the U.S. Market
Indonesia
Jul 3, 06:00 (GMT + 9):
Indonesian Fisheries Sector Sees Strong Growth in Q1 2025, Exports Up 6.5%
United Arab Emirates
Jul 3, 05:20 (GMT + 9):
UAE Drives Aquaculture Expansion with Focus on Exports, Sustainability, and Food Security
Norway
Jul 3, 02:00 (GMT + 9):
Norway Reopens Land-Based Aquaculture Licensing with Stricter Rules
China
Jul 3, 00:10 (GMT + 9):
Scientists Convene in Shanghai to Discuss Giant Squid Conservation and Management
Brazil
Jul 3, 00:10 (GMT + 9):
Embrapa Leads Groundbreaking Research to Slash GHG Emissions in Tilapia Farming
Viet Nam
Jul 3, 00:10 (GMT + 9):
Beyond Farming: Vietnam's Unique Grip on the Global Pangasius Industry
Spain
Jul 3, 00:00 (GMT + 9):
Other Media | Industrias Pesqueras: June sees record sea water temperatures in the Mediterranean and Cantabrian Sea



Lenguaje
FEATURED EVENTS
  
TOP STORIES
Vietnam's Tuna Exports Rebound in May 2025 Amid Global Trade Shifts
Viet Nam Producers Navigate US Tax Concerns and Middle East Instability by Diversifying Markets. HANOI – After facing headwinds in early 2025, Vietnam's tuna exports saw a significant recovery in May, r...
Argentina's Shrimp Industry Faces Unprecedented Crisis, Billions in Losses Amid Labor Dispute
Argentina Five Thousand Workers Unemployed, Over US$200 Million in Export Losses as Unions and Fishing Companies Lock Horns Over Wages. BUENOS AIRES – Argentina's vital shrimp fishing industry is grappli...
Anchovy-Dominated Diets Threaten West Coast Salmon, Study Reveals Fatal Vitamin Deficiency
United States New Research Links Ocean Shifts to Thiamine Deficiency, Killing Half of Endangered Chinook Fry and Deepening Salmon Crisis. SAN FRANCISCO, CA – A widespread vitamin deficiency, triggered by an ...
Indonesian Fisheries Soar: Southeast Sulawesi Exports to US, Thailand Confirmed to Meet Global Standards
Indonesia Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Greenlights Over $1.7 Million in High-Quality Seafood, Signaling Growth for Eastern Indonesia's Sector. JAKARTA – Indonesia's Ministry of Marine Affairs...
 

Umios Corporation | Maruha Nichiro Corporation
Nichirei Corporation - Headquarters
Pesquera El Golfo S.A.
Ventisqueros - Productos del Mar Ventisqueros S.A
Wärtsilä Corporation - Wartsila Group Headquarters
ITOCHU Corporation - Headquarters
BAADER - Nordischer Maschinenbau Rud. Baader GmbH+Co.KG (Head Office)
Inmarsat plc - Global Headquarters
Marks & Spencer
Tesco PLC (Supermarket) - Headquarters
Sea Harvest Corporation (PTY) Ltd. - Group Headquarters
I&J - Irvin & Johnson Holding Company (Pty) Ltd.
AquaChile S.A. - Group Headquarters
Pesquera San Jose S.A.
Nutreco N.V. - Head Office
CNFC China National Fisheries Corporation - Group Headquarters
W. van der Zwan & Zn. B.V.
SMMI - Sunderland Marine Mutual Insurance Co., Ltd. - Headquarters
Icicle Seafoods, Inc
Starkist Seafood Co. - Headquearters
Trident Seafoods Corp.
American Seafoods Group LLC - Head Office
Marel - Group Headquarters
SalMar ASA - Group Headquarters
Sajo Industries Co., Ltd
Hansung Enterprise Co.,Ltd.
BIM - Irish Sea Fisheries Board (An Bord Iascaigh Mhara)
CEFAS - Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science
COPEINCA ASA - Corporacion Pesquera Inca S.A.C.
Chun Cheng Fishery Enterprise Pte Ltd.
VASEP - Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters & Producers
Gomes da Costa
Furuno Electric Co., Ltd. (Headquarters)
NISSUI - Nippon Suisan Kaisha, Ltd. - Group Headquarters
FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization - Fisheries and Aquaculture Department (Headquarter)
Hagoromo Foods Co., Ltd.
Koden Electronics Co., Ltd. (Headquarters)
A.P. Møller - Maersk A/S - Headquarters
BVQI - Bureau Veritas Quality International (Head Office)
UPS - United Parcel Service, Inc. - Headquarters
Brim ehf (formerly HB Grandi Ltd) - Headquarters
Hamburg Süd Group - (Headquearters)
Armadora Pereira S.A. - Grupo Pereira Headquarters
Costa Meeresspezialitäten GmbH & Co. KG
NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Headquarters)
Mowi ASA (formerly Marine Harvest ASA) - Headquarters
Marubeni Europe Plc -UK-
Findus Ltd
Icom Inc. (Headquarter)
WWF Centroamerica
Oceana Group Limited
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Ajinomoto Co., Inc. - Headquarters
Friosur S.A. - Headquarters
Cargill, Incorporated - Global Headquarters
Benihana Inc.
Leardini Pescados Ltda
CJ Corporation  - Group Headquarters
Greenpeace International - The Netherlands | Headquarters
David Suzuki Foundation
Fisheries and Oceans Canada -Communications Branch-
Mitsui & Co.,Ltd - Headquarters
NOREBO Group (former Ocean Trawlers Group)
Natori Co., Ltd.
Carrefour Supermarket - Headquarters
FedEx Corporation - Headquarters
Cooke Aquaculture Inc. - Group Headquarters
AKBM - Aker BioMarine ASA
Seafood Choices Alliance -Headquarter-
Austevoll Seafood ASA
Walmart | Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (Supermarket) - Headquarters
New Japan Radio Co.Ltd (JRC) -Head Office-
Gulfstream JSC
Marine Stewardship Council - MSC Worldwide Headquarters
Royal Dutch Shell plc (Headquarter)
Genki Sushi Co.,Ltd -Headquarter-
Iceland Pelagic ehf
AXA Assistance Argentina S.A.
Caterpillar Inc. - Headquarters
Tiger Brands Limited
SeaChoice
National Geographic Society
AmazonFresh, LLC - AmazonFresh

Copyright 1995 - 2025 Seafood Media Group Ltd.| All Rights Reserved.   DISCLAIMER