Farming Oysters on Block Island

We are located in the Great Salt Pond of Block Island, 13 miles off the coast of Rhode Island. Oysters are native here, it is known, and were a food source of the Manisses.

Block Island has distinct advantage when it comes to ocean-based farming. The foremost is our water quality which is the best in Rhode Island. As filter feeders, oysters contribute to the pond’s clarity. In turn, the cleanliness of the pond supports a thriving habitat for marine ecology. There are few freshwater streams and little brackish water. The high salinity gives our oysters a distinctly briny flavor.

We raise the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) on three acres. The oysters drink in the tides of the pond, beginning as seed in Harbor Pond, reaching maturing in Trims, and finishing in the cooler, deep water off Cormorant Cove. Grow-out method is primarily top culture (suspended floating bags on line), with a portion reaching final grow out in baskets on the pond bottom. They are all tumbled and sorted by hand.