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East Beach Oysters

Our East Beach oysters (Crassostrea virginica) are sourced through the Charlestown Salt Pond, located in Southeastern Rhode Island.  The East Beach oysters are a product of seed which is purchased from local hatcheries.  The oysters seed is started in a system of upwellers until they reach a diameter of roughly half-an-inch.  At this stage, the tiny oysters are transferred to a mid-water culture which is comprised of lantern nets suspended from rafts floating in the middle of the salt pond.  The tiny East Beaches remain here until they reach roughly one-and-a-half to two inches in length.  At this point, the oysters are moved to cages moored to the bottom of the salt pond, and here they remain for the duration of their grow-out.  Every few weeks, the cages are removed from their moorings, and vigorously shaken in an effort to chip the new growth from the shell.  Immediately following this manicuring process, the East Beach oysters are laid out above the waterline, and are thereby conditioned to clamp their shells together tightly when removed from their element.  This simple exercise proves to be highly effective in promoting the retention of the oyster’s liquor.  When the East Beaches have reached market size (after roughly two to three years), harvest is as simple and ecologically sound as bringing the cages in off of their moorings.  It is important to note that the East Beach oysters are harvested, packed, and are placed on a J.P.’s Shellfish refrigerated truck all within the course of a scant few hours.  The East Beach oysters possess the briny flavor of the open ocean (which is located a mere 100 yards from the lease), and are available in 100 count units.

Please email info@jpshellfish.com or call 207-439-6018 for more information on this and or any other J.P.'s Shellfish product or service.