What Is A Shellfish Farm

What Is A Shellfish Farm

Shellfish farms are operations that grow and harvest shellfish. They may focus on one or two types of shellfish, such as oysters, or grow a variety of species. Shellfish are grown in saltwater, which can be either open ocean or land-based tanks.

The four main types of shellfish farms are:

  * Oyster aquaculture — oysters are grown in bags suspended from rafts or racks in the water. It takes two years for an oyster to reach market size.

  * Clam aquaculture — clams are grown on the tidelands and are harvested by hand after they reach market size (about two years).

  * Mussel aquaculture — mussels attach themselves to ropes that hang from floating rafts. The mussels grow for about 18 months before they reach market size.

  * Scallop aquaculture — scallops are raised in long lines suspended above the seafloor or planted directly into the seafloor; it takes about three years for them to reach market size.

A shellfish farm is a business that leases space in the sea from the government and uses it to raise shellfish. We focus on oysters but also grow mussels and scallops.

The first oyster farms in North America were located in Nova Scotia, Canada. Now there are oyster farms all along the coastline of the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Europe.

We lease areas of seabed called 'aquaculture sites'. Each site has an assigned number, such as 'Site 41'. We plant the site with seed oysters and watch them grow for two years, when they are ready to harvest and sell.